Living without You
by Mochimon
Summary: Mimi Tachikawa is returning to Odaiba for college after being away in America for several years. She was going to be sharing an apartment with her best friend, Sora & she will be pursuing her dream career. Everything seemed to be perfect. What happens when the perfect dream turns for the worse & Mimi ends up sharing her apartment with her standoffish, old friend, Yamato Ishida?
1. Chapter 1: A New Roommate

**Living Without You**

 _Hello everyone! I'm new here. You can call me Chii. This is my first mimato fanfic and I'm really excited to share it with you guys. I hope you enjoy it! Here are just some things I wanted to clarify. I'm putting their ages down so you all have a gist of how old the digidestined are. I would also like to point out that the story is going to be written in different character's point of view (Mimi's, Yamato's...etc.), so be sure to notice who's perspective it is. – Chii_

 _Regular Italics: Author's notes_

 _ **Bold: person's thoughts**_

 _ **Bold Italics: Phone calls**_

 **Synopsis:** Mimi Tachikawa is returning to Odaiba for college after being away in America for several years. She was going to be sharing an apartment with her best friend, Sora Takenouchi, she will be seeing her old friends again after being away for so long, and she would be pursuing her dream career as a fashion designer. Everything seemed to be perfect. What happens when the perfect dream turns for the worse, and Mimi ends up sharing her apartment with someone she doesn't relate to at all, her old "friend," Mr. Yamato Ishida?

Mimi Tachikawa- 19

Matt Ishida (aka Yamato) -21

Tai Yagami (aka Taichi) -21

Sora Takenouchi- 20

T.K. Takaishi (aka Takeru) -17

Kari Yagami (aka Hikari) – 17

Kouji Minamoto- 21

Zoe Orimoto (aka Izumi) – 19

Takuya Kanbara - 21

Ken Ichijouji- 18

Yolei Innoue (aka Miyako) - 18

Izzy Izumi (aka Koushiro) -20

Joe Kido (aka Jyou) – 22

Daisuke Motomiya - 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

 **Chapter 1:** A New Roommate

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"Hmm?" I asked, zipping up my luggage. **I'm Mimi Tachikawa, and I'm 19 years old. I was in America for quite a long period of time, but I moved back to Odaiba to transfer to a fashion designer program at Odaiba university. Right now, I'm on break, but in a few weeks I'll be at this university as a Junior. I worked really hard to be able to get into the program here, and my hard work paid off because all my old friends are gonna be there! I'm the happiest girl alive! I get to see my friends after so long!**

"Honey, I can't believe we're going to drive you down to your apartment today…" I heard my mom mumble, "Your first week of college here in Odaiba starts next week…it's hard to see my baby girl grow up."

"Oh mom…I've already been in college for 2 years, this won't be any different," I reassured her as I saw her sniffling. I wasn't even on the way to my apartment yet and my mom was already on the verge of tears. My dad was busy putting all my stuff in my car.

"I know… but this is the first time, you'll be on your own," She cried, "Our family has never been separated before. How am I supposed to know that you'll be okay?!"

Although I was looking forward to being a junior at Odaiba university, I was still a bit nervous about leaving home. My family and I have always insisted to stay together no matter what. During the many times I moved as a child, when I made my big move to America for my dad's work and now here. It wasn't that my parents will be that far away, but they were far enough, that I couldn't commute to the University on a daily basis.

"Mom…" I looked at her as she wiped her tears with a hankerchief. Tears started to well up in my eyes.

"Look what you did!" I exclaimed as tears started to fall from my eyes, "Now I'm crying!"

We both hugged each other. I was going to miss my mom and dad. I loved them both so dearly.

"Dear, stop crying," My dad came in and put his hand on my mom's shoulder, "We're all going to end up a crying mess here."

My mom looked at my dad and sniffled.

"Besides, it's not like our Meems is going to be alone," He comforted, "Sora is going to be her roommate. You know how reliable she is."

My mom nodded tearfully, "I know…Sora is a sweet girl. I know I can trust her to take care of our Mimi well."

She wiped her eyes one more time and gave me a smile.

"Do your best, dear." She told me as I nodded, cleaning up my face as well, "You know that you can always call us or come back, if you're feeling homesick, okay?

"Yes, mom. I'll miss you…I'll miss the both of you!" I expressed my feelings and gave my parents a final hug, "I love you."

They returned my hug and words and I grabbed my handbag and keys from the table.

I can see them stand on the porch as I walked out and got into my car. **I'll see you soon…**

"Okay…so I have to get off this exit, coming up," I mumbled to myself, concentrating on the road, "Well, it's not that far…just about an hour or so…"

Suddenly, I heard a ring come from my phone that was connected with my car. It was Sora.

I smiled to myself, feeling excited to see my best friend again after so long. I had already saw her a little earlier when I got back to discuss our apartment plans, but we haven't actually had a chance to talk about our lives.

" _ **Sora!" I shouted, picking up the call as I continued driving, "Are you at the apartment yet? I'm almost there, I'm about to-"**_

" _ **Mimi, welcome back!" She greeted.**_

" _ **Aw, Sora you told me that last time you saw me, thank you," I laughed, "Are you at the apartment yet?"**_

" _ **Uh, about that…" She answered, her cheery voice grew hesitant.**_

" _ **What's wrong?" I asked, "Are you okay?!"**_

" _ **Y-Yes! I'm fine, it's just…" She replied before pausing. I could hear Taichi's voice in the background.**_

" _ **Yes, I know, Taichi!" I could hear Sora whispering to him, "Ok! I'll tell her already, stop rushing me!"**_

" _ **Sora?" I arched a brow.**_

" _ **T-Tell you what, Mimi, let's meet up at the coffee shop, right at the corner of where our apartment is, okay?"**_

" _ **Okay…" I agreed.**_

" _ **Alright, cool! See you soon, Meems!" She said, before hanging up.**_

"I wonder what's up…" I thought. My eyes lit up, "IS SHE GETTING MARRIED TO TAICHI?!"

I got out of my car and walked inside the coffee shop that Sora told me to meet her at. As soon I opened the door, I could see her and Taichi sitting in a booth. They signaled me to come over and I hastily ran towards Sora and gave her a huge hug.

"Sora! I've missed you so much!" I cried. She pat my back and I let go of our embrace.

"I missed you too, Mimi, I'm so glad I can finally talk to you face to face, instead of messaging you all the time," She replied.

"Taichi! You've grown so much taller!" I shouted, giving him a hug, "Sora must have been taking care of you well!" He let go of me and put his hands in his jacket pockets.

He grinned, "Well, I don't know… you see how skinny I am? She hasn't been feeding me right…"

"Taichi!" I saw Sora elbow Taichi in the ribs. He winced, but still kept the grin plastered on his face. Sora has told me that She and Taichi have been together since high school. It seemed like Taichi was the one that confessed to Sora about his feelings he has had since they were childhood friends. Although she was hesitant to accept his feelings since they have been friends for so long, she thought about it carefully and realized that no one knows her better than Taichi. He knew her strengths, her fears, her uncertainties, everything. She knew that if she gave him a chance, he would meet her expectations. Sure, Taichi had his weaknesses and bad habits, but despite all of that, she grew to be very much in love with him.

Taichi and Sora sat opposite from me.

"Here, I got you a refresher," Sora smiled as she pushed the full cup towards me. I thanked her.

"So, what's the big news that you couldn't tell me on the phone? How come you couldn't have told me at the apartment?" I asked, "We're so close by!"

Suddenly, I saw Sora's cheery expression darken. She fidgeted with her fingers and looked towards Taichi and he just gave her a nod.

"About the apartment plans, Mimi…" Sora started. I arched a brow. Something was up.

"Okay, Sora, out with it," I said.

"Well, last week, I was sort of helping Taichi look for an apartment for this year too, and…we sort of signed papers to live together…?" She confessed. I looked at her in shock, almost dropping the cup out of my hand.

She made eye contact with me and her head collapsed in her arms on the table.

"I'M SO SORRY MIMI, I REALLY AM, BUT IT'S JUST THAT TAICHI AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR A WHILE AND THEN YOU CAME BACK AND WHEN YOU WERE SO EXCITED I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO BREAK IT TO YOU," Sora exclaimed, her muffled voice was heard through her arms.

I immediately glared at Taichi and he winced.

"L-Listen, Mimi…" He stammered, "Sora really feels guilty about it, ever since you came back, that's all she's been talking about. How to tell you about what we decided… literally, if you check my text messages from her, all of them are about you."

I crossed my arms and thought really deeply about it. **I shouldn't be too surprised…but I was really looking forward to it…**

I looked up from the table and I saw Sora was teary-eyed and Taichi was trying to comfort her. **Sora…**

"Well…I guess it can't be helped," I sighed, shrugging.

"Wha?" Taichi questioned.

"If my bestest friend wants to live with her messy, slobby boyfriend that doesn't even know how to do laundry and wakes up late and gives her a headache… what can I do?" I sighed again, "Honestly, Sora, it's your last chance to choose to live with cute little me over him."

She smiled widely at me before leaving Taichi's side and bear hugging me on my side.

"Mimi, I love you! I can't ask for a better girlfriend than you!" She squeaked.

"Yes, yes, I know I'm amazing," I sipped my refresher, "So…does this mean the apartment I signed up for is a single room apartment?"

"Oh…well…that's the other-" Taichi replied, before his phone rang.

He picked it up after the first ring.

"Hey!" He greeted the person on the phone, "Oh yeah, Sora and I were just about to head over to help you move in. Okay, we'll be there in a jiffy! Later!"

Taichi ended his call and we all left the shop to my new apartment. **Who am I sharing my apartment with?**

"It should be…right…" Taichi looked at the room numbers. Sora and I followed him closely before he made a complete stop, "Here!"

Taichi knocked on the door and pressed the doorbell.

A girl with short brown-hair and a camera dangling around her neck answered. My eyes lit up.

"Hikari!" I screamed as I hugged her tightly, taking her by surprise.

"Mimi?! You're back?" She asked, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Taichi said I'm sharing my apartment with someone other than Sora, are we roommates!?" I asked excitedly, "I wouldn't mind that at all!"

"Onii-chan said that?" Hikari questioned, "I'm not your roommate."

"Eh?" I looked at her cluelessly. She led us inside and said, "I'm helping with the move-in."

When I walked inside, I remembered how much I would love this apartment. The layout was nice. Walking in there was a doorstep where we could put our shoes. The flooring was all wood throughout the apartment hallway. The hallway lead into the different areas of the apartment. On the left was the kitchen, on the right was a small laundry room and up ahead was the living room. The living room had a small area of carpet where the couch, coffee table and TV was. There was a sliding glass patio door that lead out to a small balcony with a nice view. If you were to walk ahead past the laundry room, the apartment hallway would make a turn to the right where a bathroom and apartment room were located, the second apartment room right across it. Both rooms were the same size.

"Whew, I think that was the last box," I heard a familiar voice come from the room hallway. The person turned the corner and I noticed his blonde hair and trademark hat.

"Takeru!" I ran over to greet him.

"Mimi!" He grinned and we both hugged each other, "It sounded kind of noisy out here."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I playfully punched him, "Wow, haven't you matured into a handsome boy!"

I could see Takeru turning pink as he scratched his face shyly.

"Don't tell me you're my roommate right?" I guessed, "You have to be if you're unpacking!"

"Hahaha, would you mind having me as your roommate?" He asked.

"Of course I wouldn't! We spent a lot of time together in the digital world, I'm practically your sister already," I shook my head.

"Well-" Takeru started, before I heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Oh, is someone else here?" I asked.

Out from behind Takeru, a guy with the same colored hair with azure blue eyes appeared before me.

"Alright, I finished unpacking, so can you tell me who my roommate is already, if it's not Taichi?"I heard his familiar voice.

Our eyes met.

He has grown taller, his voice has gotten deeper, his facial features were sharper, but he still resembled that person I hardly exchanged words with when we were younger. His eyes were more distinctly blue than ever.

"…Mimi…?" He said my name.

"Yamato…" I whispered softly, "I'm living with…you?"

 _And... that's the end of the first chapter! Sorry, it's a bit short, I'm still trying to figure out how much I can write per chapter. Anyways, please read & review. I'll be updating again real soon. Thanks for reading! ^^_

 _-Chii_


	2. Chapter 2: Readjustments

_Hello everyone! I'm back with Chapter 2. Just an FYI, the story will be written in mostly Mimi's point of view. I will alternate with Yamato's and other character's point of views wherever I see fitting. I don't know if many authors do the switch in point of views, but I honestly really like it because I can show what each character is thinking during certain situations. Anyways, what am I doing, taking your time away from my story, onwards! – Chii_

 **Bold = character's thoughts**

 _ **Bold Italics = flashbacks**_

 _Italics = author's notes_

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

 **Chapter 2 New Adjustments**

 **Yamato's Point of View**

After placing the last box on the floor of my room, I wiped my forehead. I didn't imagine that unpacking would still be tiring after so many years in college.

"Well, that's all of it," I sighed, pushing my hair back. **I can't believe I'm a senior this coming year at Odaiba university. How did so many years go by this fast? I'll be getting my Music and English degree soon. It's a surprise I was able to double major and still be active in my band and STILL graduate on time.**

I looked up at the poster of my band on the wall. We were known as the Teenage Wolves and we've been around since I was in high school. Since the band itself was on and off, we weren't famous or anything yet. "Teenage Wolves" literally outgrew their name, so I've been figuring out for the longest time what to rename the band once we put out our next song. Sort of like a rebirth or a refreshing start to a more mature sound.

"I can't believe Taichi though," I spoke to myself, "He decides to tell me a week before moving in that he already got a place with Sora. Who the heck am I living with? If it's not Takeru, who else would it be?"

I walked down the short hallway and saw Takeru talking to someone with a smile on his face.

"Alright, I finished unpacking, so can you tell me who my roommate is already, if it's not Taichi?"I asked my younger brother.

Suddenly, the conversations stopped. I noticed a girl with long, chestnut brown hair standing across from Takeru. She looked familiar, but it took me a few seconds before I realized who she was.

"…Mimi…?" I asked. **She's back…?**

Our eyes met.

"Yamato…" I heard her whisper softly, "I'm living with… you?"

Her voice, I haven't heard it in years. **Wait a minute…**

"Taichi," I signaled my brown-haired friend over, "A minute."

"What?" Taichi asked, standing there with his hands in his pockets.

I looked at him dully and walked past Mimi and put Taichi in a headlock and dragged him to my room.

"Nii-san…" Takeru sweatdropped.

"Are you crazy, Taichi?! I shouted at him as soon as I closed my door, "I'm going to be living with Mimi?!"

I pulled at his shirt collar. He put his hands up in defense.

"H-Hey! Calm down," Taichi replied, "What's wrong with Mimi?"

"She's a girl!" I reasoned.

"She's your friend!" Taichi defended himself, "Besides, you spent as much time with her as me and Sora did when we were younger. What are you getting so worked up about?"

"You're an idiot," I concluded, letting go of his shirt collar. Taichi moved back.

"Com'n, Yamato, I already got through explaining things to Mimi," He clarified, "I'm sorry I couldn't get Koushiro or Jou to be your roommate, but what's done is done."

"Easy for you to say, you're living with your girlfriend," I muttered. **There really isn't much I can do, there's no chance in finding a vacant apartment now when classes are about to start.**

I sighed in defeat.

"If this girl throws a tantrum, I swear, Taichi," I threatened.

"I don't think you should be the person of the two to worry about that…" He snickered, "Com'n, we should help Mimi unpack her things."

"Yamato is REALLY looking forward to living with you, Meems!" Taichi grinned, walking into her room. I was holding every inch of myself back from punching him. He was having too much fun out of this.

"Really?" Sora asked, joyfully. Taichi nodded excitedly towards her. **They look so happy…**

"Yamato, Mimi, you guys are the best!" Sora's blissful expression was completely covering her face, "I'll make it up to you guys, I promise!"

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, looking away from them and shoving my hands into my pockets.

My eyes slowly made their way back to my new roommate and I could see her still chatting up a storm with Takeru and Hikari with a smile on her face. She didn't seem the least bit bothered. **… I wonder what kind of person she is now.**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"YO! Are you trying to make me handicapped!?" Taichi yelled, as Yamato dropped a box onto the floor, barely missing Taichi's foot.

"You're in the way! If you break your foot, that's your fault!" Yamato argued back.

Sora, Hikari, Takeru and I were sitting on the floor, sorting out the things in the boxes, these two were throwing everywhere.

"What's with him?" I asked.

"Oh, Nii-san just gets like that whenever he's sulky," Takeru explained, "You think you can handle Yamato, Mimi?"

"Does it look like I have a choice?" I asked, as both Takeru and Hikari laughed.

"It might be difficult at first, but I'm sure he'll warm up to you," Takeru continued, "He has changed in the years you've been away."

"Really?" I questioned, "How so?"

"Well…" He started.

"Yamato! Get back here, we're not done unpacking!" Taichi shouted, as he saw Yamato leave the room.

"There's one more box in her car!" He responded.

"I'll help you, Yamato!" I volunteered, grabbing my car keys. I caught up to him and he was in front of me, walking ahead in silence. I started to think back at what happened earlier.

 _ **I watched Yamato drag Taichi away from us. Hikari and Takeru had gone to bring in some of my luggage so we all headed to my room.**_

" _ **Onii-chan is a goner this time," Hikari giggled, hearing the door slam from Yamato's room.**_

" _ **He's not the only one…" I mumbled. I turned and stared right at Sora as she flinched.**_

" _ **WHY AM I LIVING WITH YAMATO!?" I asked, "OF ALL PEOPLE?!"**_

" _ **Mimi, I already told you…Taichi was going to live with Yamato, but then we decided to live together and that just left you two together," She explained, "Koushiro is living with another roommate and Jou has his own single-room apartment so… if you would have rather lived with them, I don't know what to tell you."**_

 _ **I grabbed Sora's shoulders and sighed exasperatedly.**_

" _ **Yamato's gotten a lot more laid back since you've last seen him," She continued, "Trust me, it won't be as awful as you think it is."**_

" _ **How can you be so sure?" I drilled in that last question as I edged towards Sora's face.**_

" _ **You'll be fine," She reassured.**_

" _ **For some reason… I don't believe you," I cried, letting go of my best friend's shoulders and looked down to the floor.**_

I walked with Yamato in silence. **Well…there's really not much I can do now…there's no way I can tell my parents about this sudden change…**

"Owch!" I yelped, running into something, that something being Yamato's back, "What's the big idea stopping suddenly like that?!"

"Your fault you weren't paying attention," He mumbled, unlocking the front door. I looked at him dully. **Keep calm, Mimi.**

He paused and turned his head back to glance at me. **Is he concerned that I got hurt?**

Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his lips, "We've only seen each other for an hour and you're already daydreaming about me?"

 **Excuse me, what?**

"Y-You only wish, Ishida!" I lashed back and hastily passed him.

I could hear him chuckling behind me.

I opened the trunk of my car and Yamato was right, there was one box left. I can't believe that soon it'll be official that we're going to be roommates for god-knows-how-long. I reached over to try to grab the heavy box, but it wouldn't budge. **What did I even pack in this thing?**

I stood there in deep thought.

"Mimi? Having trouble?" He asked, as I moved back startled, bumping into him.

"A-Ah, sorry, I am a little bit." I apologized as I peered up and he just stared down at me. **Was Yamato always this tall?**

"Move aside," He instructed. He reached in the trunk of my car and easily moved it into position and lifted it without breaking a sweat.

I closed the trunk of my car and followed him.

"Yamato?" I asked, as we made our way back to the apartment, "How have things been for you? It's been a long time since I've seen everyone."

"Same ol'," He replied simply, "Taichi's a business major and I don't know if you already know about Sora…"

"Sora's a psychology and English major, she's double majoring," I answered, "Don't worry, I know all about Sora! Taichi fits as a business major, I can totally see him do business!"

"I was more interested in you! What are you up to?" I asked.

Yamato stopped in his tracks and looked at me.

"What?" I responded a little uneasy at how he stared at me.

"I'm a Music and English major," He continued walking, "I'm still in my band. Nothing new."

"Oh, interesting," I nodded, "How's your band?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions." He stated bluntly.

"Is there something wrong with that?" I wondered, seeing the door to our apartment at the corner.

"Just thinking how noisy it's going to be living with you," He sighed, "Were you this much of a motormouth when we were both kids?"

"Wha- Hey!" I shouted, seeing Yamato hurriedly walk ahead of me.

"Did something happen?" Taichi asked. I crossed my arms and glared at him in response.

"Nothing really, we were just talking," Yamato answered, "Well, Mimi was just talking…and talking and talking…"

I shot my glare at Yamato, but he wasn't fazed by it. "Well that's everything," Yamato said, putting the last box on the floor.

The whole group sat down and exhaled. It was a long day of unpacking, but for the most part, we were settled in. I had forgotten how it had felt to be with my old friends. I really missed them.

I opened the box and smiled, forgetting about the incident that just happened earlier.

"You still have our picture?" Takeru pointed, as I pulled out the group picture of all 8 of us back when we were in the digital world.

"Hahaha, wow I was so short!" Takeru laughed at himself, "This brings back memories."

"Onii-chan's hair hasn't changed," Hikari giggled, "This was really years ago."

"Oh? What's this?" Sora asked, taking out another picture frame, "Who are they?"

I peered over, "Those are my friends from America."

"Was this during the holidays last years?" Taichi wondered, "It's snowing."

Little by little, we all started talking again, catching up on things that we had missed and what we were up to now. I learned that Takeru and Hikari were in their last year of High school and would soon be heading to college just as we all were about to finish. Taichi wanted to do something in administration for business. He seemed really eager to run and manage his own company one day. Sora and I have always talked but she did let me know that she was deciding on whether to be a counselor or teacher. I thought it suited her well. She was always so loving and caring towards others. I also heard about Koushiro and Jou too. Koushiro was a computer science and programming major. Jou was preparing himself to apply for several medical schools around the country. Yamato didn't say much and I was questioning why. All I knew was that he was still in his band and working on his music and English major. I guess it'll take a little more time with him.

"Thanks for helping guys!" I showed my gratitude to my friends that came today. Yamato and I watched them leave and waved before shutting the door. It was already nighttime.

Silence filled the apartment except for Yamato's footsteps which were heading towards his room. **This is harder than I thought…**

I decided I wasn't going to be pessimistic about the sudden change in living plans. If Takeru and Sora said it'll be okay, it will be okay.

"Yamato!" I called after him.

He turned around, "What?" **Geh!**

"Uhm! What are you planning to do, now that everyone is gone?" I asked, he walked into his room and I followed him. I could see that he had more unpacking to do, but for most part, everything was there. His full size bed was centered and covered with navy blue bed sheets, his laptop laying comfortable at the side. I could see several posters of his band on his wall. It seemed like these posters were at places where they had performed gigs or live concerts. Across his bed was his mirrored door closet. To the left was where his desk and computer were. To the right of his room was a bookshelf. And next to his bed, were his guitars and an amp. I recognized one of them right away because it was the bass guitar he had been using since before I left for America. Even after years, it still looked new. The other one that was on its stand was an acoustic guitar.

"Which one do you play now?" I wondered, looking at his instruments carefully. He sat on his bed quietly.

"Careful with those," He said to me, but I was too busy admiring how shiny his guitars were.

I plucked the acoustic guitar and I could hear the clear sound of the string echo in my ears. He had it tuned.

"Yamato, can you play something?" I asked, "I never got to hear any of your songs live."

"…," He gave me the silent treatment. I was starting to feel nervous, but I continued trying to talk to him.

"Com'n! I want to-" I swiftly grabbed his acoustic guitar out of the stand, accidentally knocking over his bass guitar stand.

"MIMI!" I heard him shout.

I glanced over and saw that his bass guitar was about to hit the floor. Yamato ran and grabbed it just at the nick of time.

"I'm so-," I started.

"I told you to be careful!" He yelled at me, as I flinched.

"I-I know, but-" I stammered. This was the first time I've seen Yamato so angry.

"I agreed to live with you for Taichi and Sora. don't give me more things to do," He stated coldly. I watched him check his bass guitar carefully before putting it back on its stand.

His words pierced my heart. **Laid back?! Not awful?! Yamato has become quite a jerk in my opinion…!**

"Well sorry for just trying to get to know an old friend better," I apologized, placing his acoustic guitar back on its stand.

I left Yamato's room and walked into mine, closing the door.

"I was just trying to talk to him…," I muttered, balling up my fists, "What a jerk."

 **Matt's Point of View**

"Well sorry for just trying to get to know an old friend better," Mimi apologized, placing my acoustic guitar back on its stand.

My eyes widened with the last look I saw on her face. Despite her stern apology, she looked genuinely hurt by what I just said.

As she left, I quietly placed my guitars back in their spots and double checked if they were damaged in any way. I knew I should have apologized, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything before she left. All I know is now I feel a tremendous amount of guilt and I didn't know what to do about it.

 **What was so wrong about just letting her listen to one of your songs? What was wrong with talking to her like everyone else did earlier? Yamato, what are you doing?**

I sighed, "This is harder than I thought."

Crossing my arms, I sat down on the floor and stared at my two guitars in deep thought.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"Uungh…" I groaned, closing my eyes tightly before proceeding to open them. My room was pitch black. The sun had set. I was drowsy and was fumbling around on my bed, trying to find my phone.

"I napped longer than I thought," I whispered to myself, "What did I do before…?"

I recalled that Yamato and I had our quarrel hours ago and after that, I left his room and went into mine. Since I didn't know what to do with my emotions at that moment, I decided to put them to good use and unpacked everything I had. After doing all of that, I decided to take a nap because I was tired. My thoughts went back to our quarrel and Yamato's face popped into my mind.

"It's only been 1 day and I'm already dreading tomorrow…" I muttered, "What a rude guy." **That's it, tomorrow, I'm going to wake up early and just avoid him all day. How's that for giving you more things to do, Ishida? I'll stay out of your stupid blonde hair as much as possible so you don't have room to complain!**

Determined, I nodded at my plan. **Time to nap until he goes to sleep.**

Just when I was about to continue my nap, I started to hear guitar strings being plucked. I gave no thought to it and closed my eyes tighter.

The plucking of guitar strings became strumming. Now it seemed like it was the starting of a melody.

I tried to tune out the guitar and closed my eyes even tighter.

The strumming got louder and louder. I put my pillow over my ears. **What is he doing?!**

I furrowed my eyebrows and sat up from my bed, walking towards the door.

"Yamato! You're so loud, I don't want-" I shouted, yanking my door open and nearly tripping over something on the floor.

"Wha-" I asked, surprised. I saw Yamato's backside facing me. He was sitting, cross-legged outside my room, strumming away.

I moved back, wondering what he was up to.

He finished his strumming and tilted his head back.

"Took you long enough to get out here," He said, "You know how long I was playing for?"

"I was napping! You could have played a lot quieter!" I lashed at him.

"Well, who was the one that asked to hear me play?" He asked. I stared at him taken back. He returned to looking at his guitar, strumming lightly.

 **Yamato…**

I walked out of my room and made my way around before sitting down across him. For some reason, I felt happy.

"My band and I have been playing a lot of pop rock songs since the old days, all of us usually write our songs together," Yamato started, "…But lately I've been thinking that being in a music major, I wanted to go in more depth with songwriting…which is why I'm also an English major too-"

He told me about what his plans were and how they formed through his years in college. He filled me in on what his band was doing and who the band members were. He elaborated on how he owned an acoustic guitar and a bass guitar because he enjoyed learning both. I listened to him talk. The more he spoke, the more I could see that his passion for music has never left him.

We sat there together for a while.

That was the most I heard him talk all day.

 _Chapter 2 is finished! ^^ How did you guys like it? Yamato is slowly (very slowly) getting comfortable with his old friend. Will things continue to go smoothly? Thanks for reading, please leave a review! I appreciate the feedback~ See you in the next chapter. –Chii (12/8/15)_


	3. Chapter 3: College Start

_Hello everyone! I'm back with chapter 3. Sorry for the delay hehe. My Microsoft office on my new laptop expired so I couldn't edit the chapter on it and had to use my old one to work on this. You're probably wondering how I'm updating so quickly. It's because I've written a lot of this fanfic already, so I'm just in the process of uploading it on here since, I was kind of hesitant of sharing my story online for others to see. It's actually good because since Digimon Tri released, it gave me more motivation to work on this story._

 _Anyways, without further delay, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! –Chii_

 _Italics = Author's notes_

 **Bold = Person's thought**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon, 'nuff said.

Chapter 3 College Start

"Mmrph…," I groaned, as I saw the sunlight creep into my room. **What time is it…?** My eyes slowly opened and I could hear the birds chirping outside. I sat up in my bed and stretched my arms, yawning. My room was slightly different from Yamato's. The mirrored closet was on the left wall of my room and there was a window on the right. I had a bookshelf and a drawer close to my desk where I was able to put my books, my skincare products and make-up. I stared straight ahead where my desk was and I saw the two papers that were taped against the wall. Earlier the week, I exchanged my schedules with him, but since we were in different majors, we hardly shared any classes. All we had together was English on Mondays and Wednesdays, first thing in the morning… **Morning…?**

My eyes widened and I jumped out of bed, grabbing my phone off my bedside table.

"Oh my god, we're going to be late!" I shouted. I hastily put on my slippers and rushed to Yamato's room. His door was closed, but I didn't have time to knock and opened it.

I saw that Yamato was still in his bed snoozing.

"YAMATO! Wake up! We're late!" I yelled, and ran to his bedside.

"Mmm…" He groaned, pulling his covers over himself, "Takeru…you're so noisy…"

He wouldn't budge. I looked at the clock on his wall and it was ticking, there was really no time for this. I never imagined Yamato to be such a heavy sleeper. I spotted a pillow and grabbed it off the floor.

"YAMATO! DO I SOUND LIKE TAKERU TO YOU?! WAKE UP! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR CLASS!" I screamed, pounding him with a pillow.

He flinched and reached quickly, grabbing my arm.

"OW! OW! Who's- STOP, What's going on?!" He asked, as I dropped the pillow, "Mimi..?"

His hair was messy and I could see sudden alertness in his eyes as he looked into mine.

"Why are you hitting me?!" He demanded answers.

I paused for a brief second and then remembered. We were both still slightly half-asleep.

"We're late! Today's the first day of classes!" I explained as he looked at me surprised before glancing to the clock.

"Well, what are you doing just standing here!? Com'n!" He replied.

He pulled the covers off himself and stood up hastily, racing to the bathroom.

"H-HEY!" I yelled after him.

"We only have 5 minutes to find our class!" Yamato scolded me as we ran together onto campus.

"What are you talking about?! YOU HOGGED THE RESTROOM THE WHOLE TIME! My hair looks awful!" I fired back, "How can a guy take so long in there?!"

"Do you know what building our class is in?" He asked, looking around.

"Shouldn't you know where the classes are? You've been going here for 3 years already! Didn't you grab the campus map?!" I sighed exasperatedly.

"Hey! You woke up earlier than me! You should HAVE gotten the campus map!" He argued, "Look! We don't have time to argue, so stay quiet and help me find the building!"

The day had barely started and we had already run into so much trouble. It took a while to find parking because it was the first week, not to mention that since the both of us didn't have campus maps, we were practically lost.

10 minutes passed and we both knew we were late.

"Ah, okay, thank you!" Yamato expressed his gratitude when one of the students explained to us where exactly we needed to go.

"Meems, he said it's in this building here," He pointed, "Com'n!"

I placed my hands on my knees. I was out of breath. Yamato was confident that he would be able to find the building without asking for anyone's help, but as a result we ran from one place to the other and did not get anywhere at all. It wasn't until I forcibly told him to ask someone was when we might finally be getting somewhere.

"You…you go ahead…I need to catch my… breath," I waved my hand, still panting, "I'll…I'll catch up…"

I heard footsteps and as soon as I caught a few more breaths I would follow after him.

A shadow casted above me and I looked up. Yamato looked at me with a frustrated expression on his face. **Great, another dish of angry Yamato, coming up…**

"Geez. You are a pain! Com'n, we're almost there!" He said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. I nearly stumbled.

"Eh?! Wait up!" I shouted, as I ran with him. His hand steadily holding onto mine.

"WE'RE FINALLY HERE!" We both yelled as we pushed the lecture hall door open in unison. Yamato and I collapsed onto the floor, panting. We were both out of breath.

There was silence in the room and I opened my eyes to see the professor giving us a stern look, along with at least a hundred other students.

I tugged on Yamato's blazer and we both quickly stood up.

The professor pulled out his clipboard and looked down at the paper.

"So…Mr. Ishida, and Ms. Tachikawa, Late on your first day?" The teacher asked, taking his pencil and scribbling something down, "Amazingly, the only two late in this huge class really."

Whispers started to sound around the room. I looked around and saw that Taichi, Sora and Koushiro were giving us a small wave, despite our grand entrance.

"Ishida? The Yamato Ishida?! He's attending this university?!" A girl asked, "I didn't know that!"

"Wow~! The leader of the Teenage Wolves himself?! I can't believe he's in our class!" another girl squealed.

"He's so hot! I might have a chance of being his friend! Or even better! His lover!" another girl squeaked, "What do I do!?"

Even if Yamato said his band wasn't famous, it seems like a bunch of girls in this class did. **Is this normal…?**

"Spending some extra early hours with your girlfriend this morning, have you?" The professor continued. The girls in the class gasped. Matt looked at the teacher in a questioning expression and I looked over to him for some type of answer. Matt and I stared at each other and then when we looked down, our hands were still grasped together. We let go immediately and blushed.

"Take your seats, Mr. Ishida, Ms. Tachikawa," the professor sighed as we bowed apologetically and went to look for two empty seats.

Yamato and I found seats in the back and sat down next to each other. My heart was pounding because of our hectic morning.

I took out my notebook and pencils, side-glancing at Yamato. He scratched his face and I noticed his hand. **Earlier when we were both rushing to class…his hand was warm…**

From a distance, I could feel the glares of all the girls in the room and winced. **GEH!**

All the contents of my pencil case spilled onto the floor.

 **Matt's Point of View**

Mimi and I found some seats in the back of the class and hurriedly sat down. Today started off really rocky. I took out my note book and a pencil from my backpack and got settled as the professor began writing some things on the board.

Writing a few words down on my paper, I noticed Mimi's hands shuffling about on her side of the desk. I started to think about when I grabbed her hand earlier. It didn't surprise me that her hands were small when I had them in mine.

I scratched my face. **Her hands were soft…**

Suddenly, I heard a bunch of things clatter onto the floor and startled me. I glanced over to where the noise came from and I could see Mimi looking towards my direction, her hand was empty.

"Mimi?" I whispered. I saw that she dropped her pencil case and everything fell to the floor. **God, this girl is clumsy.**

I moved my chair back. It was difficult because we didn't have much space between each other, nor the people sitting next to us.

"Sorry!" I heard her apologize and she tried to help grab her stuff as well, "Here, I got-"

We both reached to grab the things she dropped and our foreheads collided.

"Ouch!" "Ow!" We both exclaimed. I moved away and put my hand on my forehead. **Can this get anymore-**

I leaned down once more and struggled to pick up everything she had dropped.

"Here, Meems, I think that's everything," I placed the pencils and supplies on her desk.

"T-Thanks," She spoke softly. Her forehead was pink. I could tell the pain was bothering her, but she did her best to focus on the lecture. Maybe the damage was worse on her side than mine.

I reached over and brushed the bangs away from her forehead and she moved back, startled.

"What are you doing, Yamato!?" She furrowed her eyebrows. Snapping out of my trance, I realized what I had just done and cleared my throat.

"…Nothing, I… I thought I saw a bug on your hair, so I just brushed it off," I replied.

"Really? Was there- " Mimi started, before freezing up, "N-N-Nevermind."

Her facial expression darkened and she looked pale. I could tell she wasn't looking at me anymore but something behind me.

Slowly, I followed her gaze and turned around to see all the girls in my class were looking over here. They quickly averted their glances as soon as I made eye contact with them. **Hmm?**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

Soon, the class was over. The students began to pack their things and headed out of the lecture hall. For some reason, I felt really exhausted. It was only the first class of the day. How am I going to survive the rest?

"Mimi! Yamato!" Taichi shouted, waving. Taichi, Sora and Koushiro were near the exit of the class, waiting for us.

I grabbed my bag and Yamato followed me as we both went down to meet them.

"So, what were you two up to, this morning?" Taichi sneered, "Holding hands, coming into class late like that."

Yamato elbowed Taichi in the ribs.

"You're not funny," He grumbled, "We woke up late and got lost on campus."

"I'm not surprised about Mimi, but why are you getting lost?" Taichi wondered. I could tell Yamato was getting irritated at the grinning Taichi.

"Oh, Taichi, stop making fun of him," Sora sighed, "Well, I'm glad you two managed to get here before some other students waitlisting for this class grabbed your spot."

"It's nice, we all have a class together this semester," Koushiro smiled.

Koushiro was the same as he was when I last saw him. He left no trace of any unbuttoned buttons and his red hair was slightly frizzy despite it now being short. He still carried his laptop everywhere. Aside from Sora and Hikari always keeping in touch, Koushiro was the next person to talk to me the most when I was out of Japan. We always got along even when we were kids. Well, I think I got along with him, but maybe he just put up with me when we were younger. Nevertheless, he has matured, but still the same dork as always.

I was ready to properly greet Koushiro when I felt someone bump into me really hard, making me fall forward.

"Mimi-chan!" I heard Koushiro say as he grabbed my arm, before I stumbled onto him.

I turned around and saw a girl from the class that had just ended walking out the door, giving me a menacing look.

"Oh, sorry about that, you were in the way," She apologized and I arched a brow. **What was that…?**

"Are you okay?" Koushiro asked, concerned. I nodded and reassured him I was fine.

I found out as I was walking with my friends that I didn't have any other classes with them. It made sense because all of us were in different majors, but it still made me sad that the only class we had in common was English. The good news was that we all had a break around the same time, so we could hang out and eat lunch together on most of the days. We reached a point on the campus where everyone would be splitting up to go to their class.

"Alright, I'll see you guys later!" I waved as Taichi and Koushiro went one direction and Sora went the other direction.

"Where's your class next, Yamato?" I asked. He pointed in the direction I was planning to walk.

"The music and art buildings are close by each other, so we can walk there together," He mentioned. He placed his hands into his pocket with his backpack on one shoulder.

"Thanks for picking up my stuff," I thanked him again, "I was surprised I just dropped my pencil case like that."

"No problem," He replied, "Are you heading to one of your fashion design classes?"

I nodded. I started to talk to Yamato about the classes I had today and how I was excited but also nervous on how they would go. I didn't know anyone so the thought of trying to make new friends at this time in college was kind of intimidating. Yamato told me he had a music class and he knew some friends that were in it already. He also told me that he knew most of the music professors in the university because he wanted to talk to them about his band. I thought it was amazing of him to be able to stay connected with them despite not being in their classes every semester. **How did such a lone wolf have so many connections?**

I giggled at the thought.

"What?" Yamato asked, looking at me suspiciously.

I beamed, "It's not-"

"Isn't that Yamato Ishida?" I heard a girl whisper.

"Oh wow, it is him! I heard he went to this university, but I didn't think it was true!" Another person mumbled.

The comments continued.

"Wait, wasn't he talking to that girl right there?"

"Which girl?"

"Her, the one with the light brown hair?"

"Who is she?"

"I've seen Yamato with his friends, but she doesn't look familiar."

"Don't tell me, she's his girlfriend…"

"No way, her!? But she's not even that pretty!"

"What kind of girl does she think she is to even be around him?"

"Hey!" I shouted, startling the group of girls that were talking about me, "I can hear you!"

They flinched, but still gave me looks before scurrying away.

"Yamato, I think my class is just around the corner!" I ran ahead of him, "Thanks for showing me where it is!"

Before Yamato could even say anything, I rushed inside and found an empty seat and sat down. **These girls are really tiring me out…**

I wondered if I would be able to make any new friends. It seems like if I hung out with Yamato, all the girls in this university will end up hating me. And then, no guys will even talk to me because they're all too intimidated by Yamato. **Maybe I should avoid being with him on campus… But why should I? I'm just his friend! There's no reason why I need to distance myself just because of the attention of these people.**

My thoughts swayed back and forth and I placed my head into my arms on the desk, exasperatedly.

"Are you okay?" I heard someone ask. It was a girl's voice I didn't recognize. I peered out of my arms and I saw a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. She wore a dark violet beret and an off the shoulder white crop top with matching dark blue denim jeans.

"I heard you sighing really loudly," She continued, "I haven't seen your face in any fashion designing courses I've taken here."

I lifted my head up from my arms and sat back in my chair.

"Oh yes! It's my first day here at this university. I transferred from America," I replied as the girl's eyes lit up.

"America!?" She exclaimed, "Wow! That's amazing. I've never been to America, but my family came from France!"

She raised her hand and directed it towards me, "I'm Izumi Orimoto, it's nice to meet you!"

I smiled and shook her hand enthusiastically. **My first new friend!**

"Isn't that the girl that was with Yamato earlier?" I heard a girl whispering to another close by my seat.

"Oh, she's in this class? She must think she's real popular to be able to know someone like him."

"Does she think she's better than us?"

It seems like these girls were friends with the other ones that had talked about me in the hallway on the way to class. It makes me wonder how all these girls knew each other in such a huge campus. Maybe they were just big fans of Yamato.

I became quiet, hearing all the scattered voices around me. **Maybe Izumi is also Yamato's fan…**

"So, the rumors about Yamato Ishida going to school here are true?" She asked, listening in on the conversations around us.

"Are you friends with him?" She continued, "I don't really pay attention to all the buzz going around here half the time."

"Nothing really different from being friends with someone not famous," I answered softly.

Izumi smiled at me, "Of course not, I wouldn't think so."

The professor finally walked into the room and we both got ready to listen to her lecture in class. It seemed like for this class, we would be doing a lot of projects with a partner. Izumi immediately asked me if it was alright if we could be partners and I agreed. She never brought up Yamato after that question and I felt a sense of relief. She was the only girl so far that I've met that is treating me as a normal person. It made me happy.

"I got to get going to my next class," Izumi signaled, pointing to the direction she had to head to. We had just finished class and we were talking about how we both decided to go into fashion designing. It was kind of cool how we connected so quickly. She ran ahead and waved. I bid her goodbye and continued walking down the hallway. **I have a break for a while until my last class for the day… I should go find the others… they should be having their lunch break soon too…**

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Sora's number, but got no reply. I was guessing she was still in class. I decided to try Koushiro next, but it went to voicemail too.

"Where is everyone?" I pouted, scrolling through my phone list. **I guess I'll call Yamato.**

The tone rang twice, before I heard my roommate's voice on the line.

" **Hello?"**

" **Hey, Yamato! It's Mimi, are you done with class? I was going to grab lunch at the student union."**

" **Yeah, I just got out of class, I have a break for an hour until my last one."**

" **Oh really? Same here! Let's get food!"**

" **Alright, do you know where the cherry blossom tree is? There's quite a few, but there's a really big one close by the student union. That's where our meeting spot is for everyone, I'll see you there?"**

" **Cherry blossom tree near the student union…Okay, I'll find it! See ya!"**

" **Don't get lost."**

" **You think I'm that incapable? Geez, Yamato, I won't!"**

I ended my call and smiled at my phone. **Cherry blossom tree? I bet the flowers are pretty during the spring.**

Suddenly, I saw a group of girls walk towards me and I stopped in my tracks. There was a ringleader and 3 other girls behind her. They had their arms crossed in front of them. **Who are they?**

"Mimi Tachikawa?" The ring leader asked. I arched a brow.

"Are you surprised we found out your name?" one of the girls behind her giggled, "There's nothing we can't find out."

"What business do you have with me?" I asked, sternly, "Although I sort of have an idea…"

"We heard from some of our friends about you." another girl behind the ringleader scoffed, "If you want to have a smooth college semester, stay away from him."

I put my hand on my hips.

"And tell me why I should?" I fired back, "I don't think I've done anything wrong."

The third girl stepped towards me, with irritation written on her face, but the ring leader put her hand in front of her.

"Mimi, I don't think you understand," The ringleader spoke, "Regular girls like me and you, are not allowed to make a pass at Yamato. That is the rule."

 **Rule? There are rules to be friends with Yamato?**

"Why do I have to follow these rules?" I asked. My phone started to ring and I lifted it up to see Yamato's name on the caller ID.

"Look, I'm sorry I can't figure out these rules, but I have somewhere I need to be, so if you could excuse me-" I started, picking up Yamato's call and proceeded to move through the group of girls.

The third girl that was behind the ringleader shoved me back, causing me to drop my books and papers.

"We're not done talking yet!" She shouted, causing the people walking by us to stare.

" **Hello? Meems?" I heard Yamato's voice.**

I pulled my phone away from my ear, slightly surprised at what just happened. I looked at all the papers scattered on the floor in silence.

"We're giving you a warning. Don't take it lightly, or it'll get worse." The ringleader whispered, "And by worse, maybe we just might have to drag Sora-san into your mess."

My eyes widened. **Sora?!**

She walked past me and her friends followed suit, leaving the mess they made from my stuff as it was on the ground.

My head started to hurt. I didn't expect Yamato to have such crazy fangirls. Especially girls around my age at this college.

I kneeled down to the floor and started to pick up my papers. **Is it going to be this hard to hang out with Yamato and my friends here after not being able to see them for so long?**

I could see my hand slightly shaking as I gathered my things. I balled up my fist to stop the shaking.

"Those girls don't scare me…" I mumbled quietly, "They don't…"

I sighed, "I didn't know this many papers can scatter all over the floor, I should put them in my bag next time."

I heard shuffling and I looked up to see a red-haired girl kneeling towards the floor, picking up the papers I had left to grab. Her red hair was tied to the side into a short ponytail with a yellow ribbon and she wore a purple-striped sweater, accompanied with denim shorts and knee-high white socks with white sneakers. A high-quality camera dangled around her neck.

"Here," I heard her speak when she had finished gathering up the papers on her end.

"Oh, thank you so much," I replied, taking them and putting them into my folder and my bag. We both stood up.

"That should be all of it," She slapped her hands together and then brushed off her shorts. She looked at me and I noticed her sharp facial expression. **Even though she is kind, she looks fierce.**

"I saw those girls that were bullying you," She pointed out, "That's really not cool."

"Ah, yeah…" I scratched my head, "It's not really a big deal."

"Even after all these years, they really don't quit," She frowned, crossing her arms, "I can't believe they're still that uptight, do they expect Yamato Ishida would fall for them if they act like that? I can never understand fanclubs."

"Fanclubs?" I asked, "Yamato has a fanclub?"

The red-haired girl looked at me in shock.

"You didn't know Ishida has a fanclub?" She exclaimed, "They're not officially approved by the campus for obvious reasons, but he has a fanclub here and it's at least 30 members. You just met the fanclub president and her attendees."

 **Yamato has a fanclub?! Oh gosh, if they knew what kind of person he was really, they would probably disband immediately.**

"Well, now everything makes sense," I placed my hand under my chin, thinking, "Are you… also a part of his fanclub?"

The red-haired girl coughed loudly.

"Didn't you just hear me talk about them? Do I look like someone who would want to worship Ishida?" She denied intensely, "I could care less about that blue-eyed blonde singer freak."

I sweatdropped. **Wow, harsh.**

"You have a camera," I pointed as she looked down.

"I don't use this for Ishida! Don't get the wrong idea!" She waved her hands at me in defense, "I'm a journalism and photography major. I'm also in their clubs so I take pictures all the time for the campus newspaper and I guess for myself too."

"You must be really talented!" I complimented, "I'd love to see your photos sometime."

She held her camera in her hands and I could see that she was slightly embarrassed.

"Maybe, if I have anything neat, I'll show you," She muttered, avoiding eye contact, "I'm Kasumi Mashiro, by the way."

"Mimi Tachikawa! It's nice to meet you," I grinned at her.

"There you are!" I heard someone yell from a distance. Kasumi and I both looked over and saw a familiar blue-eyed blonde.

He rushed towards me, panting.

"Yama-" I started.

"IDIOT!" He scolded, "Where were you?! I was waiting forever at the tree!"

"Uhh…" I paused. **I can't tell him about the incident that just happened…**

"Who are you calling an idiot!?" I lashed back.

"Oh, who's this?" I heard Yamato ask as his attention was directed to Kasumi.

"A new friend! I just met her on the way to meeting you," I explained, "Her name is Kasumi Mashiro."

"Nice to-" Yamato started before I noticed Kasumi glaring at him. He flinched.

"Mimi, I'll talk to you later," She said, completely ignoring him, "Let's grab lunch another time, okay?"

"Of course! Thanks for helping me," I nodded. I watched her leave just as fast as she appeared.

"Did she just ignore me?" Yamato asked. I shrugged.

"Mimi, what did she help you with?" He wondered.

I gulped and began to powerwalk away from him as he trailed behind.

"I-I just dropped my papers and books. Kasumi helped me pick them up," I stammered, "It wasn't a big deal!"

"Is that so?" He concluded, crossing his arms, "I thought-"

"Yamato! Mimi!" Someone called our names. Taichi and Sora were waving and signaling us to come over for lunch.

The 4 of us grabbed something quick at the student union before finding our tree meeting spot. Koushiro was already over there with his laptop opened and a piece of bread in his mouth. I sat down next to him and leaned over to see what he was working on, while I munched on my sandwich. Taichi and Yamato were talking about their day and Sora was sorting through her bag, trying to find something or other. I stared up at the tree. Its leaves were rustling against the wind. It almost felt like we were back in the digital world. Takeru and Hikari couldn't join us because they were still in high school, but aside from that, everything felt the same as it did in the past.

"Jou can't come by," Koushiro mentioned, looking at his phone.

"Whaaat?" I whined, "He can't spare any extra time to see my face?"

"Not everyone has the time in the world to see your face, Mimi," Yamato answered. I stared at him dully.

Sora giggled.

"It's not funny, Sora! He picks on me like this all the time," I scolded her as she put her hands up in defense. **When Sora was telling me that Yamato was different, I wish she meant it in a good way… Besides being stand-offish as usual, Yamato had a knack for teasing me all the time. I don't see him do this to her! Why is it only me? So cruel…**

"I know, but I just think it's nice to have you around again," She replied, "It's a lot brighter around here."

Suddenly, those girls from earlier popped on my mind. I started to feel nervous. **Were those girls just bluffing?** I looked at my dear friend. Sora was about to eat an apple slice she picked up from her lunch but Taichi grabbed it and ate it from her hand. She punched him playfully on the shoulder. I felt like the girls wouldn't do what they had threatened to do, but I didn't want to drag my best friend into this. She had nothing to do with any of it. **If they hurt Sora… because of me…**

I looked down from Sora to my lap. I just sighed tiredly again.

"Is there someone bothering you?" Koushiro asked. He must have noticed that I got quiet. I thought deeply, still in silence. **I won't forgive them if they tried to hurt any of my friends…!**

I balled my fists and stood up, "They don't scare me!" I grabbed my bag and started walking down the hill.

"Where are you going?" Yamato shouted.

"I have my last class in a few minutes! I'm going to find it!" I replied, not looking behind me.

"Alright guys, I'll see you later," Yamato gave a salute to Koushiro, Taichi and Sora, grabbing his backpack.

Taichi and Sora watched as he followed after me.

"Haha, did Yamato ever show that much concern for me when I had Mimi's problem?" Sora noticed.

"You call that concern?" Taichi asked, his mouth slightly full of apples.

"For Yamato, yes," She replied.

"Of course he wasn't that concerned over you, with me by your side, why would he be worried?" Taichi grinned, wrapping his arm around Sora. She blushed and nudged him away with a small smile on her face.

I felt uneasy when I realized Yamato had followed after me. Did he not realize that he was the cause of my problems today? It would be better if we weren't seen with each other.

"Why are you following me?!" I stopped in my tracks and turned around. He halted right in front of me with a mellow expression on his face.

"I have class in that direction," He answered, "Sheesh, everything is all about you today isn't it?"

My face grew hot in embarrassment.

I adjusted my bag over my shoulder and turned back around, walking ahead as he caught up.

Brushing his hair back, we walked quietly together in the same direction. I glanced over to him. **What's so great about Yamato anyways? I have to admit that, he's gotten more handsome since I've last seen him, but his personality is on the other side of that spectrum. We've only been living together for a week and I never knew how meticulous he was with certain things in the house… and I thought I was bad. I wonder how Takeru puts up with him on a frequent basis…**

Yamato cleared his throat and stopped walking.

"Okay, what is it?" He started, "You've been staring at me ever since I caught up with you."

I was about to start before a sneaky smile crept across his lips.

"Don't tell me that you've fallen for me?" He asked.

I burst out laughing.

"Yamato! You're so silly, I would never fall for you," I waved my hand, completely dismissing his theory.

I finally stopped laughing, but I was holding my sides and trying to catch my breath. Suddenly, I felt Yamato's presence come closer to me.

"Are you sure about that?" He leaned down and whispered in my ear. I could smell his faint cologne and for a second, I was caught off guard by his actions.

At the corner of my eye, I saw the fanclub president and two of her attendees and I winced. **Oh no…Yamato is too close to me… What do I do? We can't be seen like this together or they might…**

I frantically searched for an answer in my head as I avoided both Yamato and the girls's eyes. Inhaling, I pushed Yamato from being so close to me.

"Yamato, stop," I said softly, "I hate it when you do this."

He had a surprised expression on his face.

"You're a bother, just stop it already!" I yelled, sounding as angry as I could. I ran away from my friend and realized that the room the fanclub president was about to go in was my class. I rushed over to the door.

"Good girl." She praised, her lips formed into a spiteful smile, walking into the classroom after me.

… _And that is a wrap! This chapter is twice as long as the first 2 chapters. I hope you guys liked it. I was actually having a hard time figuring out where the stopping point was, but I managed to get it. It seems like Yamato is more than just his standoffish exterior. And Mimi met two new people. Izumi Orimoto is Zoe from Digimon frontier for my readers that didn't watch that series. Kasumi is an OC that I thought up of. She will serve to be an important character in this story. Anyways, what is Mimi going to do with Yamato and with these girls? Thanks for reading guys. Leave a review if you'd like, and I'll see you in the next chapter! – Chii (12/23/15)_


	4. Chapter 4: Friends

_Hello, hello! I'm back with another chapter. Were you guys waiting long? Well, hopefully the wait was worth it. I just wanted to repeat this because some people got confused, but Kasumi Mashiro is an OC that I created for this story. She was not in any of the Digimon series and I decided to add her. You will see how she interacts with Mimi and Yamato throughout this fanfic. Look forward to it! Anyways, Let's jump on in! So, a recap of the previous chapter, Mimi was having trouble with some of Yamato's fangirls leading to her distancing herself from him in order to not to drag Sora into the mess. Will this solve her problems and be enough to stop the fangirls from doing anything to her friends?_

 _Italics = Author's notes_

 **Bold = Character's thoughts**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

Chapter 4 Friends

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"Don't tell me you've fallen for me?" I asked.

Mimi had been staring at me for quite a while since I caught up with her. Suddenly, she burst out laughing at my question.

"Yamato! You're so silly, I would never fall for you," She waved her hand at me, dismissing my theory.

She was clearly having the time of her life. Holding her sides and giggling like crazy. **Silly?**

I just looked at her, shaking with laughter before she started to breathe deeply in order to catch her breath. **This girl… she thinks she has the upper hand with me?**

A small smile crept onto my lips. I walked closer to her and leaned down just enough so my mouth was right next to her ear.

"Are you sure about that?" I whispered. Mimi ceased her deep breaths and her fading laughter almost instantly.

A silence filled between us and all I could hear was the bustling and footsteps of the students that were walking by. Both of us were standing in place as if time had stopped.

I shortly averted my glance away from Mimi and I noticed a group of girls looking in our direction.

Unexpectedly, I was shoved backwards and I realized Mimi had pushed me away.

"Yamato, stop," I heard her say softly, "I hate it when you do this."

 **Huh…?**

"You're a bother, just stop it already!" She yelled, angrily. She glared at me and quickly turned around, running into her classroom.

I watched her go in confusion. The group of girls followed in after her.

I stood there, wondering why Mimi got so angry all of a sudden. Her carefree personality was the reason why I thought it would be entertaining to tease her. I knew Mimi wasn't one to take things like that to heart. **Or did she?**

A student bumped into me and knocked me out of my spaced out state.

"Sorry," They apologized.

"It's alright," I said, adjusting my backpack. I took one last glance at Mimi's classroom before heading over to mine.

I pushed the door open and found an empty seat close to the back of the class. I grabbed a notebook and pencil out of my backpack and dropped it on the floor. Glancing at the clock, the professor should be coming in a few minutes.

I tapped my pencil against my notebook staring at the white paper and the lines that raced across it. **Does Mimi think I'm a bother? I don't even do anything wrong, she's the one being difficult.**

I stopped tapping my pencil. **When I followed after her, she sounded irritated. Maybe she was already mad at me before I even did that…? She was literally laughing her heart out just after the whole thing though…**

"I don't get her…" I mumbled to myself, still staring at the sheets of paper in my notebook.

"Get who?" I heard someone's voice next to me. I looked up and saw a guy with a bandanna around his neck. His long, black hair was tied into a ponytail and he wore dark blue jacket and simple white shirt underneath with jeans.

"Kouji!" I smiled. He gave me a pat on the back and sat down at the desk next to mine.

"Looks like we're stuck with each other for a class this semester," He placed his backpack on his desk, taking out his earbuds and throwing his music player into it, "So, which girl don't you understand this time?"

"You say that like I date a new girl every week," I chuckled, "It's a childhood friend. She recently came back to Japan."

"Oh really?" He asked, "What's the problem?"

"I think I said something that might have offended her, but I don't know," I continued, "It's only been a week since I started living with her-"

I stopped talking. **Oh shit.**

"Is childhood friend the word they use these days?" Kouji asked. I immediately slammed my hand onto my notebook.

"Don't say that about her," I glared at Kouji. He noticed my serious expression and apologized, saying it was a joke.

"Taichi wanted to live with Sora, so I'm living with Sora's roommate who happens to be a girl and my childhood friend," I explained to him, "Don't get the wrong idea."

"Alright, alright I won't. I didn't in the first place," He sighed, "I know what type of person you are."

Kouji was one of my first friends here at this university. We met through one of our music classes and we are both music majors. I was focusing more on songwriting and he wanted to do something more along the lines of recording and production. Since we were in the same major, we had quite a few classes together and became good friends. He seems cold towards people he doesn't know, but after you get to know him, he's actually quite a character.

The professor walked in hurriedly and apologized for being late.

Everyone that was about quickly found their seats.

"I guess I'll just go see her after class and figure out what's going on," I muttered, knowing Kouji could hear me from his desk. I side-glanced over and I saw Kouji nodding as he started to jot down some notes.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"I couldn't concentrate at all…" I sighed, gathering my things. My last class was over for today. I didn't expect those girls to be in my class. The whole time, I could feel them drilling their glares into my soul. I peeked to the side of where they were sitting and I could see that they were getting ready to leave. **I'm off the hook for today.**

I stood up from my desk and placed my bag over my shoulder.

"Hey! MEEMS!" I heard a voice shouted my nickname. I looked up to see a certain blond-hair boy, I've been trying to avoid since the fangirl incident. I froze.

"Hey, hurry up! You're done with your classes right? Let's go home," Yamato said as he carried his backpack on one shoulder while keeping the door opened with another.

The fangirls in the room flared up at the sound of his voice and his casual invitation back HOME.

I immediately made eye contact with the ringleader in the class and I could feel her death glare drilling into my soul again.

I quickly grabbed my books and headed towards Yamato. I could see his facial expression gradually soften as I got closer.

"I was wondering if you-"Yamato started. Before he had time to react, I ran out the door, leaving him behind.

"Whoah, Mimi!" He shouted.

"Mimi! Wait up!" I could still hear his voice loud and clear, "Mimi, what are you running for!?"

"Go away!" I yelled, not looking back. **Don't follow me, don't follow me, don't follow me, don't follow me-**

"MIMI!"

I continued running and soon, Yamato's voice calling my name was gone. I turned to a deserted corner on campus with a dead end. When I saw the wall, I stopped.

"This…should…be…far enough," I wheezed, turning away from the wall to see no Yamato behind me. I sat down, panting. If I kept this façade up, I knew that Yamato would eventually get tired of it. He was that type of person. He said that he doesn't want to have to deal with more trouble after being forced to live with me for Taichi and Sora's sake. If I'm out of his hair, he'll be able to live a life free from my trouble. It's fine that he gives me the silent treatment. Nothing great about me came out of his mouth anyways. At least those fangirls will stop bothering me and won't have to bother Sora.

"Good, a dead end." I heard Yamato's voice behind me and gasped, "Now you can't run away from me."

I was ready to spring off the floor and dash across campus again, but I knew this time, Yamato was going to stop me before I even tried.

He was standing in front of me, blocking my path, just as out of breath as I was. He must have ran after me the whole time after I left him behind at the class.

"Geez, what's with you? You've been avoiding me since lunch," Yamato said. He came closer towards me and kneeled down to the floor, where I was at.

"O-Of course I would!" I exclaimed, "Just leave me alone!"

I could tell Yamato was looking directly at me but my eyes could not meet his and so I looked off to the side, flustered.

"Did I do something to upset you?" He asked, "…Was it what I said earlier?"

"Com'n Meems," He continued, "Look at me."

I peered over and into his blue eyes. They had never left my face since he kneeled in front of me. His face was solemn but I could see that his gaze on me was gentle. Just like how it was when I was coming towards him at the end of class.

"If it was what I said earlier…" He mumbled, "I apologize."

I shook my head, "No, you didn't do anything."

Nervousness swept over me. **I don't know if I should tell him...**

"Are there some girls bothering you?" He asked, "Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

I was surprised. I slowly nodded.

"I knew it," He sighed, "What have they done?"

"Just for the record, I could totally handle them myself!" I blurted out.

"Yes, I'm sure you can," He agreed, "But Mimi, they won't quit unless I talk to them. You have to let me help you."

 **Let Yamato help me?**

"I thought you didn't want to have more things to deal with, after the living situation," I stood up, crossing my arms.

"Are you thinking about that still?" He got up from the floor, "This all happened because of me. You shouldn't have to deal with this. You're my friend, Mimi."

"Friend?" I asked slowly. I could see his face get a bit irritated at how slow the progression of this conversation was.

"Unless, you want the girls to think you were my girlfriend instead," He chuckled. I punched him on the shoulder.

"See, didn't think so." He looked at me, "Show me who's been bothering you tomorrow and I'll take care of it."

"You really will?" I doubted.

"Mimi, who do you take me for?" He asked, "I'm actually hurt that you would think I would leave you like this."

I could tell he was joking by his tone of voice. It was strange to hear Yamato actually sound so laid back. He's usually so serious…and sulky.

"Let's go home, did you forget we came together this morning?" Yamato asked, as we began walking, "I would have to had chased you down regardless if you were avoiding me or not."

I scratched my face. I had totally forgot.

"W-Well, there are other ways of getting home!" I retorted, "I'm a strong independent woman that doesn't need a man!"

I could hear Yamato laugh quietly.

"You're a strong, independent woman that just needs a Sora Takenouchi," He smirked, walking faster ahead of me before dashing off.

"ISHIDA! Come back here!" I yelled, chasing after him.

"Hmm…" I thought to myself as I looked in the mirror, "I didn't expect to get a bruise from those girls yesterday."

I was fixing my outfit one last time before heading out to class. Yamato said that today he would take care of my problem. Luckily, both of us managed to wake up on time so we didn't have to worry about being late. I was about to head out the door when I noticed there was a bruise on my upper arm from when the girls had bumped and shoved me. It was kind of nasty so I decided to slap a bandage on it before going. I pulled my short sleeve down.

"It shouldn't be too noticeable," I spoke softly to myself.

"Mimi, you done yet?" I heard Yamato's voice from the hallway, "We're going to be late and this time it'll be entirely your fault."

I grabbed my bag and glared towards where Yamato's voice was coming from. **I swear sometimes I wonder why I put up with this guy for Taichi and Sora.**

"I'm coming! Gosh!" I rushed over to him and his eyes slightly widened, "W-What?"

Out of reflex, I crossed my arms and placed my hand over my bandage on my arm under my sleeve.

"Nothing, let's go," He simply replied and opened the door.

"Can you believe that my professor already gave me a pop quiz?" Taichi complained, munching on some chips, "It's only the second day of the semester, we hardly learned anything!"

"How did you do?" Koushiro asked. His laptop was closed during lunch today, which was a surprise.

"I don't know," Taichi sweatdropped, "Pop quizzes aren't fair. I swear teachers just give them for their own amusement."

"Taichi, quit being so bitter," I waved my hand, "Now you know, and you can be more prepared next time!"

He pouted, and continued munching on chips.

"Did I tell you guys, I made my first two new friends here, yesterday?" I added.

"Oh really?" Sora asked.

"Yes, a girl in my major. Her name is Izumi Orimoto!" I smiled, "She's really nice! We're going to be partners for our projects in one of my classes."

"Izumi?" Yamato started, "I swore I heard her name before…"

He thought deeply, "Oh, right! Kouji mentioned her. They're both friends."

"Kouji?" I wondered, "I don't know him."

"He's one of Yamato's friends in his major," Taichi explained, "What a coincidence. We've all met them both. They're cool."

"That's neat! We should ask them to have lunch with us if they don't have class then," I suggested.

"The more the merrier," Koushiro agreed.

"Who's the second new friend of yours?" Yamato asked, "Don't tell me it's that redhead I met yesterday…"

"Redhead?" Sora questioned. Koushiro ruffled his red hair.

"It is! She's a photography major," I confirmed, "She helped me when I dropped my stuff. Her name is Kasumi Mashiro."

"More like Kasumi Meanshiro," Yamato muttered, as Koushiro choked on his water.

"Speak for yourself," Taichi added, "Yameanto Ishida."

Yamato snatched Taichi's bag of chips out of his hands almost instantly and stuffed his face with the remainder of the crunchy snacks.

"HEY!" Taichi shouted, "SEE YOU'RE YAMEANTO AFTER ALL!"

I burst out laughing; the blonde-haired roommate of mine toss the empty bag of chips to the side as Sora consoled her boyfriend.

I stood up and brushed my hands off each other, grabbing my bag.

"I'm going to the restroom," I notified my friends, "Be right back!"

I pranced down the hill of where our meeting spot was, heading into the building close by, in search of a restroom to freshen up before my next class.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

I snatched Taichi's bag of chips right out of his hands and rummaged whatever was left inside it.

"HEY!" Taichi shouted, "SEE YOU'RE YAMEANTO AFTER ALL!"

I didn't care about his light insult at this point. The look on Taichi's face when I had finished all of his chips was priceless. It made me feel better. He pouted sadly at Sora as she ruffled his hair, trying to console him. **Serves him right.**

"I'm going to the restroom," Mimi told us as she stood up, brushing herself off, "Be right back!"

I watched her scamper down the hill with her bag and head into the building close by. Just when I was about to turn my glance away from her, I noticed the same group of girls that were heading into her class from yesterday's incident. They were discussing something amongst themselves, but they were looking towards Mimi's direction. One of them nodded and the other crossed their arms in dismay. They didn't look happy.

"Hey Yamato," Koushiro said my name. I reluctantly broke my glance from the group of girls.

"What's up?" I asked.

I answered Koushiro's question quickly and turned my head to the same exact spot the group of girls were standing. They were gone.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

Turning the faucet, I lathered some soap into my hands and stared at the mirror.

I thought about the incident with the chips and smiled to myself. **Taichi loves to make fun of Yamato, it's actually pretty hilarious.** I finished washing my hands and walked out of the restroom, heading back to my friends.

"We warned you." I heard a familiar voice. I stiffened up at who I knew the voice belonged to.

Before I could even do anything, I was surrounded by the ringleader and 3 other girls from yesterday.

"W-Warned me about what?" I crossed my arms. **Don't show them you're intimidated, Mimi.**

I rested my hand on my chin, thinking.

"Oh, your rules?" I asked, "Sorry, I don't think your rules apply to me."

"We told you, if you don't stay away from Yamato, we're going to start with Sora-san," Another girl threatened, stepping forward towards me. I didn't budge. I looked her straight in her eyes.

"Don't you dare touch my friends," I boldly declared, "I won't forgive any of you, even if you're Yamato's fans."

"Oh you caught on?" The ringleader asked, "You should know how much of an influence we are then. Every girl we see that isn't with us, is against us. And we make sure they are clear about that."

She nodded to 2 of the girls next to her and they came closer to me.

"If you insist, then we can just start and end with you," She continued. I locked eyes with her and I shuddered. She was infatuated with Yamato and her infatuation filled her eyes with envy and hatred. I don't even think that she or the other girls were thinking straight because of it.

I raised my arms up, but the other two forcibly restrained them.

"Let go of me!" I demanded, trying to shake off their grip.

"Mimi-san, your hair is truly stunning, You must take care of it really well. I bet even Yamato-sama admires it," The girl next to the ringleader complimented. **My hair…?**

A vindictive smile spread across her lips, as she pulled out scissors from her bag, "It'd be a real shame if someone were to accidentally cut it off."

These girls were insane. I tried to break the grip off the ones that had restrained me but it was no use. I could feel panic start to well up inside me and my heart started beating faster as she pulled at my hair strands.

"OUCH!" I winced, feeling her tug just a little roughly on my hair.

"Follow our rules and stay away from him and his friends and you'll be able to keep your long, pretty hair," The ringleader looked at her fingernails, nonchalantly.

"I-I…I won't!" I exclaimed, "Why do I have to follow your rules if I'm Yamato's friend?!"

I didn't back down. These girls can't just stomp over other girls that are just minding their own business and someone had to set them in their place.

"Suit yourself," She replied, "I bet Yamato won't want to hang out with you once your appearance is tattered anyway."

I saw the scissors inch closer to my hair and my face. I didn't want to admit it, but I was frightened. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for what was about to be done.

"That's enough," Yamato's voice entered my ears and felt the grip on my arms loosen immediately.

Opening my eyes, I saw Yamato had confiscated the scissors from the girl attempting to cut my hair.

All 4 girls moved back quickly, struck with alarm that Yamato had witnessed what was about to happen.

"Y-Yamato-san!" The ringleader stammered.

"What are you guys doing to her?" He asked as they all flinched.

"M-Mimi-san was taking up all your attention!" One of the girls blurted out, "We were teaching her a lesson!"

"What lesson was that?" He questioned again.

"She can't have you to herself!" Another one answered, "She has to follow our rules!"

Suddenly, Yamato pulled me over to him and away from the girls. He spun me around and revealed the bandage on my arm that was hidden underneath my sleeve. **How did he-**

"So you're hurting her to teach her a lesson for not following your rules?" He inquired again.

He held the scissors up in front of them, "This is not what you do to my friends!"

The girls cowered at the sight of angered Yamato.

"We're sorry, Yamato-sama, w-we won't do it again," The one that had the scissors whimpered, holding her hands together, bowing her head down.

"We're really sorry," Another one cried, "Please don't hate us!"

"I didn't want to do this, Yamato-san, please forgive me!" The third girl apologized, tears were welling up in her eyes.

Yamato squeezed my shoulder and moved in front of me before placing his hands into his pockets.

"Apologize to her," He directed towards the ringleader, "Apologize to Mimi."

I could see Yamato looking sternly at all 4 of them, but he was looking at the ringleader with the harshest expression.

"Ah!" I yelled, reaching out towards her, "Yamato!"

Before we both knew it, the ringleader had fainted and was falling towards the ground. Yamato caught her at the nick of time. The other girls started to panic and kneeled down, asking him if she was okay. I just stood there, unsure of what to make of the situation. Yamato's harsh expression disappeared and it seemed now that he was deep in thought. The ringleader's face was pale.

"I'll take her to the infirmary," He concluded. Securing his grip around her and lifting her off the ground, Yamato carried her quickly towards his destination, with the other concerned girls trailing behind him.

I stood there, watching him become more distant with each step, before I followed shortly after.

I was sitting outside of the room on the bench, waiting for Yamato. The room was small and it was already crowded enough with all of them there. I wasn't inside but I was close enough to overhear the conversations.

"She is only fatigued," The nurse explained, "She must have not enough sleep last night. With some rest, she will be fine."

Everyone sighed in relief.

The nurse left the room and the 3 other girls were making quite a ruckus afterwards. I peered in the room just to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The girls had surrounded Yamato with infatuation on their faces.

"Yamato-san is so kind!" They exclaimed, "Thank you so much for caring for her!"

I could see Yamato look away from them as they gushed over his mannerisms. He must have been both shy and a bit put off by everything that just happened.

"Just stay with her until she wakes up and explain everything that happened," Yamato told them as they nodded vigorously.

I could hear his foosteps come closer to the door.

"Also…" He started.

The girls perked up, "Y-Yes, Yamato-san!?"

"Don't forget, all of you owe Mimi an apology," He reminded them, "I expect to hear it tomorrow." The sense of nervousness that was inside me the past 2 days dissipated at the sound of those words.

"Y-YES! We will, we're truly sorry…" They understood, "H-Have a good afternoon, Yamato-san!"

I quickly scooted away from the door when I saw him approaching it. He turned towards the girls one last time and had a small smile on his face and nodded.

I stood up from the bench as we both made eye contact with each other. I could hear the fangirls squeal over Yamato's small smile and kindness towards them in the room. **How is anyone going to get any rest if they're that rowdy in there?**

We walked together in silence. I decided to start up a topic of conversation because the atmosphere was tense even though the problem was resolved. Or at least I think the problem was resolved.

"Hahaha, looks like we're both late to class…again," I forced a laugh, "This isn't going to be a trend for the semester is it?"

He was still walking quietly. **Well…that didn't work…**

I gave up trying to figure out another topic, today's events had exhausted my energy. I knew Yamato's fans were slightly delusional but I didn't think they meant to do such harm to anyone that would stand in their way. I touched the hair strands that the girl was about to cut earlier and pulled them softly where I could see them. **She was so close to cutting my hair, I thought it was actually going to happen…**

I could feel that the soft tug on my hair strands made the area where the roots were hurt. **I guess she pulled harder than I thought…**

I should be thankful they were just going to cut my hair and not yank it off my scalp.

"…I'm sorry about what happened to you today, Mimi," I heard Yamato mumble out of the blue. I stopped walking.

He walked a few more steps until he noticed I wasn't right next to him and turned around.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," He repeated, walking closer towards me, "I should have talked to those girls before they did something this drastic."

"You knew that those specific girls were giving me trouble?" I asked.

"Not exactly," He ruffled his hair, "When they were giving Sora trouble, all they did was give her glares and followed her closely whenever I was with her."

"I didn't even need to say anything because Taichi immediately snapped at them about why they kept stalking his girlfriend," He continued, "After they found out Sora already had a boyfriend that wasn't me, they apologized to her and never bothered her again."

"That sounds like Taichi…" I sweatdropped.

"For Izumi, she didn't even know they were keeping an eye out for her; we weren't with each other very often, Kouji saw it though and told me so I took care of it before Izumi noticed," He explained, "They were the most troublesome to you."

I slumped forward in dismay, "Why me?!"

"Dunno," He shrugged, "Maybe because whenever they see you, I'm always around."

"Can you imagine what they would do to you if they found out we were living toget-" Yamato chuckled as I covered his mouth and looked frantically at our surroundings.

"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT OUT LOUD AGAIN," I instructed, making eye contact with him, "DO YOU HEAR ME YAMATO? I WANT TO LIVE."

I could feel his lips form into a smile underneath and on the palm of my hand. He was clearly amused.

After our eyes made a formal agreement, I pulled my hand away from his face, only for him to suddenly grasp my arm.

"Your arm is okay, right?" He asked. Our eyes were still locked and he was holding onto the arm with the bandage.

I turned my glance away from his, "Y-yeah it's fine!"

"And…your hair?" He continued, his voice went softer. My heart suddenly to beat faster. A sense of nervousness was coming back inside me, but it was different from the one I had with the girls.

"Geez, Yamato! I'm fine! You make it sound like I-" I began to answer him, but stopped when I felt his hand on my head, right above the sensitive roots of my hair that was pulled earlier. He stroked my hair gently, running his fingers through it once.

"Can't let anyone damage that pretty little head of yours," He grinned, patting my head.

I could feel a wave of comfort and relief wash over me. My face suddenly got warm, watching Yamato pat my head as he held onto my arm. His touches were like remedies to my injuries I sustained the past 2 days, both mentally and physically. Yamato moved back and let go of my arm, looking down at me.

"If they do, who's going to wake me up with their overly eccentric voice every single morning?" He asked, smirking.

The nice, warm comforting feeling was short-lived and I was ready to shoot a cold glare at him.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"Can't let anyone damage that pretty little head of yours," I grinned, patting Mimi's head once more. Those girls in my fanclub were out of the line to take it this far this time and I felt guilty about it. **If I hadn't gotten there in time…**

My mind recalled the moments that just happened earlier. I heard that they were planning on involving Sora and the others if Mimi didn't stay away from me. Anyone would have chosen to stay away after hearing that, but Mimi was different. She was strong. She stood her ground and bared the burden onto herself. She was determined to show them that she would take anything they threw at her, just because she believed that we were friends. She believed that we were good friends.

I let go of Mimi's arm and looked at her. She seemed a bit surprised at my actions, but I felt like I needed to show her I cared. She hasn't been back for very long, but she was important, just like Taichi, Sora, Koushiro, and the others. I cared for her. I hope she is beginning to realize that. After all that happened today, I didn't want to make things too serious so I decided to poke some fun into Mimi instead. It would make her feel like things were normal again.

"If they do, who's going to wake me up with their overly eccentric voice every single morning?" I asked, smirking at her. Her surprised expression reacted to my statement I could see her eyebrows begin to furrow.

It looked like she was about to say something like "HEY, ISHIDA!" or "YAMATO!" but she paused.

"You know what, I'm going to let that statement go, just for today," She replied, putting her hands behind her back.

She smiled at me, "Yamato, you're really nice."

 **Wha-**

"Even though you were really upset with those girls in your fanclub, you were still concerned over the one that passed out in front of you," She continued, "You took her to the infirmary and you even smiled at the other girls too."

"Well, what else was I supposed to do?" I asked, unprepared by what she had just said, "Leave her there on the floor? And those girls, as crazy as all of them are, they've been my fans for a long time…Even though I was angry at them for doing that to you…"

I was struggling with my words.

Earlier, Mimi had looked away from me but now I couldn't seem to hold the gaze she was had on me. Despite how hard it was for me to convey my answer after being caught off guard by her response, I could see that she comprehended my non-coherent sentence.

She giggled before softly saying, "You really helped me out back there…"

I could see her cheery expression revert to solemnity for barely a second before she changed it back.

"So, thank you for today!" She expressed her gratitude, "I feel like I owe you one, so just let me know if you need me to tell any of my fanboys to get off your case!"

My backpack slid down from my shoulder.

"You have fanboys?" I questioned. **It's her second day here, how is that even-**

"I'm just kidding!" She punched my shoulder playfully.

I unexpectedly got flustered. **How did I let that one slip past me?**

Mimi was back to her usual self. I could feel her radiance through the sound of her voice. She was humming an unfamiliar tune as her footsteps became softer, walking ahead.

"You said you owed me one, right?" I thought out loud. Her footsteps halted.

"Yes, I did," She replied, "You already have something in mind?"

"Date." I mumbled.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you, Yamato!" She asked, telling me to speak louder.

I turned around and restated myself, "Mimi, you owe me a date."

 _And that ends chapter 4!? Did Yamato just- *keyboard smashes my feels away* Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you'd like. I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. It was fun to write and I didn't expect to make the girls come off so crazy, but I think it all worked out in the end. Just an FYI, Kouji is Kouji Minamoto from Digimon Frontier. It seems like I'll be incorporating just a few Digimon Frontier characters in here. You will see that they're not going to be the only ones showing up in this fanfic. Hehe. I'll see you in the next chapter! And also, Happy New Years!– Chii (1/2/16)_


	5. Chapter 5: Comfort

_Hi, Hi guys! I'm back with the next anticipated chapter! Sorry for the delay. After the holidays, things in my life picked up really fast so I haven't had much time to do much of anything. But as they say, if you're busy, it's good. So, recapping the last chapter, Yamato helped resolve the issue his fangirls were giving to Mimi. In return, Mimi offered Yamato that if he wanted anything, she would do it. Out of the blue, that's when he asked her for a date! What's going to happen?_

 _Italics = Author's notes_

 **Bold = Character's thoughts**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

Chapter 5 Comfort

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"You said you owed me one, right?" I heard Yamato speak up as I stopped in my tracks.

"Yes I did," I replied, "You already have something in mind?"

Yamato mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn't make out what he said when I read his lips.

I placed my hand to my ear, my lips curving into an amused smile.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you, Yamato!" I notified.

Yamato turned around and faced me, his hands were in his pockets and his eyes stared into mine.

"Mimi, you owe me a date," He stated.

My heart skipped a beat. I searched his face to see if this was one of his usual jokes, but his facial expression was serious.

"D-Date?" I repeated. He nodded quietly. **He can't be serious…**

"Yamato, you just resolved this fangirl issue, and now you're asking me for a date?" I crossed my arms, "I'm going to end up bald if we go on this date."

He walked towards me and I wanted to step back and avoid his gaze, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I stood my ground.

"Are you worried about the girls?" He asked.

"Not at all! They don't scare me!" I exclaimed. I felt self-conscious with Yamato looking at me that I couldn't even be honest to him.

"What's wrong with a date then?" He wondered. Breaking eye contact, his face became puzzled with thought. He furrowed his eyebrows as he crossed his arms and rested his hand under his chin, thinking.

In a split second, a look of surprise filled his face.

"I get it now," He looked back at me, "You're worried about me, aren't you?"

"Worried about you?" I asked, "Why-"

His lips formed a smirk, "You're worried that your heart won't know what to do when it's on a date with Yamato."

I could feel a blush spread across my cheeks as my face filled with warmth.

"NO!" I rejected, "My heart is perfectly intact and going on a date with you would just be a waste of my precious time!"

I covered my mouth. **Ah, I-I didn't mean to say that!**

"Ouch," He winced. I could see him squint one of his eyes as if it really inflicted him physical pain.

"If that's the case then, would a lunch be too much of a waste of her highness's precious time?" He asked.

I arched a brow. **Her highness?**

"Is that a no?" He sighed, "Gosh, Mimi, I thought we were friends. You're treating me like a peasant."

Anger started to well up inside me. **What is he doing?!**

"I never said no to the lunch!" I balled up my fists and shouted at him.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and grinned.

"Wha-" I reacted.

"Alright then, a homemade lunchbox from Mimi it is!" He cheered, "I expect it at the end of this week! Don't forget!"

He gave me a light pat on the shoulder and then walked ahead.

"H-Hey! Yamato!" I yelled. **How did it turned into this?**

I trailed behind him quietly, observing his features.

Yamato used to lack confidence in himself, but seeing him now, he was walking straight ahead, with his broad shoulders and firm demeanor. Yamato has gotten comfortable with himself. He has become an assertive person.

The next day flew by. I wasn't bothered by any of the girls on campus anymore. The tense atmosphere faded immediately and I was shocked that Yamato had such authority over his fanclub.

It was a relief.

Packing up my things, I looked over and I could see Yamato waiting, his back against the wall next to door. He nodded and smiled to any girls that greeted him as they were leaving the class.

 **He sure is popular…**

"Mimi, you're almost the last person to get out of this class," He said as soon I reached him.

"Haha, sorry!" I scratched my face, "I have a tendency to take everything out of my bag when I'm at my desk. Even things I don't need."

"If there's a fire, you're not going to make it out of here alive," He snickered, as I punched him on the shoulder.

"Well, I guess you're waiting on a princess after all," I decided to use his joke against him. I was hoping for some reaction, but his expression didn't change as we walked out of the class together.

"Oh, wait." He stopped in his tracks, "I almost forgot something important."

I looked at him questioningly. He made a U-turn from the direction we were going and told me to follow him.

As we walked through the campus, I could see that he was heading over to one of the many tables that were outside the student union.

I saw the familiar group of girls from yesterday hanging out with each other and my immediate reaction was ducking behind Yamato.

"Hmm?" He noticed my reaction and tilted his head, side-glancing at me, "Haha, you can relax, Mimi."

The ringleader looked up and saw both Yamato and I coming towards her. She and her friends quickly got up from their seats and fixed their appearance. Yamato really commanded their attention.

"Yamato-san!" She greeted, "Good afternoon!"

The others bowed frantically at him.

"Hi," He simply replied, "How are you feeling after yesterday's incident?"

She exploded in red.

"I-I-I'm feeling a lot better!" She waved her hands, "I heard you carried me to the i-i-infirmary! I'm sorry for wasting your time!"

"It's okay," he answered, "I'm glad you're feeling better. So…I'm ready to hear it."

She stopped talking and stared at him confused, "Hear what?"

"Actually, it's not me, but it's her," He continued, moving the side, exposing me behind him. **AH!**

"Oh…yes, her…" I could hear the ringleader reluctantly acknowledge me. I straightened up my posture placed my arms at my side. Yamato stood there, waiting patiently next to me.

After a long silence, the ringleader nodded to her friends and they all bowed slightly at me.

"We're sorry for troubling you, Tachikawa-san," she apologized, "We won't be doing it anymore."

I didn't know if that apology was actually genuine, but I could tell that they didn't want to hurt Yamato.

"Yamato?" I asked, "Can you give us a few minutes alone?"

The expressions on the girl's faces appeared surprised.

"I need to talk to them," I turned to him. He gave me a concerned look, but reading my expression, he nodded and walked away from us, just enough so he wouldn't be intruding on our conversation but still be able to keep an eye out for me.

I watched him leave and then directed my attention at the girls that winced. They were expecting me to take revenge on what they did before and I could see that they were uneasy.

"What do you want to talk to us about, Tachikawa-san?" The ringleader asked, "We won't be bothering you with Yamato-san anymore, so you don't need to rub it in."

I sighed. **These girls act like angels in front of Yamato, but once he's gone, they change so fast…**

"Listen…" I started, "You guys all really like Yamato, huh?"

They gave me a suspicious look.

"Of course we do," One of the girls answered, "Do you doubt it?"

"No, I don't, actually," I replied calmly, "I can really tell you all admire him."

The suspicious looks they had just given me became looks of confusion.

"And I'm starting to know why, Yamato is a kind person," I continued, "He cares a lot for the people close to him. He also cares for you guys too."

I put my hand out towards the group of girls.

"I know that might seem like an impossible request to every single fan of Yamato, but…," I explained, "I don't see any point in being enemies, don't you think?"

On the outside, my facial expression was determined and firm, but on the inside, I felt pretty nervous. I wasn't planning to make complete amends with these girls, but I understood that the reason behind their actions was mostly based off how much they liked Yamato. I didn't believe they were genuinely this awful to anybody. If Yamato was willing to set what they did aside and still treat them as his fans, I think I would be able to, as well.

I could see the ringleader stare at my hand in deep thought. She had her arms crossed over her chest.

Starting to lose a little bit of faith, I slowly drew my hand back towards myself. **So much for that…**

"Tachikawa-san." I heard my name being called by the ringleader, "…We will call it a truce."

I looked at her and she avoided looking at me. 2 of the girls nodded and one gave me a small smile.

I clenched my hand into a fist and nodded in response, returning a smile to them. I turned around and saw Yamato waiting for me quite a distance away.

On the way back to our apartment, Yamato was driving while I was staring outside the window of his car. I watched cloud float by and after all that happened the past few days, I feel like this was the first time my mind was able to unwind and relax. I thought back to what the ringleader had said to me and felt accomplished. I disliked ending things on a sour note with people. I rather just solve the situation and move on to the next. There wasn't any use in dwelling on a problem for too long.

"Did you end up saying whatever you needed to with those girls?" Yamato asked, snatching my attention away from the sky.

"Oh, yeah," I replied simply, "I think everything is okay now."

He nodded, his eyes were still concentrating on the road.

"Thanks for your help, Yamato," I added.

A smile crept onto his lips, "Not a problem."

"Besides, I'm looking forward to what you have in store for me for lunch at the end of the week," He continued, "I'm excited."

Nervousness swept over me. **I haven't even thought about what to cook for him, oh my gosh!**

"Y-You won't be disappointed!" I clench my fists together, showing him my wavering determination.

A silence filled between us after my remark and I settled back into my seat comfortably.

Soon, we were back at our residence. Yamato parked his car in the parking garage and we walked towards our apartment together.

I dug through my bag for the apartment keys and placed them into the doorknob, walking into the apartment first.

"Alright Meems, I gotta go meet up with my manager," Yamato said as I turned around, stopping in my tracks.

"Your manager?" I asked questioningly. He pulled his sleeve up and revealed his watch, checking the time.

"Yeah, we had some talking to do about the band," He explained. Yamato's phone suddenly rang, startling the both of us.

I watched Yamato pick up his phone and his manager's voice blared into the speaker so loud that I could even hear his voice from where I was standing.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Yes, I know I'm late," Yamato replied hastily, "Com'n, the others always come later than I do…Okay, yes, I know you have better things to do than wait on 4 boys all evening, Okay, Okay, I'm going now, geez."

"Are you late for your meeting? Is your manager angry?" I asked, "If you were in a rush, you could have just dropped me off at the sidewalk."

"Nah, it's fine," He shoved his phone into his pocket, "…You should go inside."

I hesitantly walked in, while looking at him. He waved and reached for the door, closing it behind me.

Kneeling down, I slid my shoes off my feet, thinking about what Yamato said earlier. He was looking forward to my lunch for him. Was it a joke? No one could get that excited over food, can they?

"Well… I got a few days left," I whispered to myself. I pushed my hair back and a great idea came into mind.

"That's it!" I exclaimed.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

I closed my phone after my manager's impatient phonecall. I guess things haven't changed. The manager for our band was a lenient person. So lenient that sometimes we take advantage of him like times like this. Whenever I or the other band members came late, the manager would brush it off, but not today.

"Are you late for your meeting? Is your manager angry?" Mimi asked, "If you were in a rush, you could have just dropped me off at the sidewalk."

She had a worried expression on her face.

I eyed her and shoved my phone into my pocket.

"Nah, it's fine," I replied, "…You should go inside."

Mimi slowly walked in and stared at me. I reassured her with a wave before reaching for the door and closing it for her.

"Well, that takes care of that," I muttered to myself, pulling out my keys and walking back to my car.

"Yamato, I told you not to be late!" My manager stood up from his seat as soon as I walked into the diner.

I sweatdropped as a few people looked over at us right away after the noise.

"Could you keep it down, Akio?" I asked him, "You're going to attract attention."

He looked at me dully, "What could have been so important?"

"Had to drop off someone home safely," I replied. Akio fixed his glasses and cleared his throat.

Akio was the name of our manager. Like I said before, he is an easygoing person that causes him to be picked on as a result. Based off first impression, one would think that he was a clumsy, unskilled manager, but his knowledge and effort make him one of the sharpest people I knew when it came to the industry of music. He found us after accidentally entering the wrong building because he was lost trying to find his true destination. We brushed him off at first, but after hearing us practice during that time, he wouldn't let us go. Despite how the band treats him, we're really grateful for the things he had done for us. He was a really smart and nice manager.

"You're not even trying to hide your identity," He sighed, looking at my casual attire. I wasn't wearing a hat or glasses or scarf or anything to conceal my face. When I go out, I would sometimes be recognized, but for the most part, since our band wasn't nationally famous, people left me alone to do my thing. I still get stopped by journalists from time to time though. We earned quite a reputation at our university because we would sometimes perform small casual gigs as fundraisers for the music department. All the other band members go to different unversities, but they are close by, so arranging practice isn't too much of a problem.

Akio nudged a cup of coffee towards me as I sat down across him.

"So…where's everyone else?" I asked, sipping some of the coffee my manager got me as he sipped his own.

"Well, I only decided to meet up with you today," He answered, "I wanted to discuss where exactly the Teenage Wolves is going."

I exhaled. This was something on my mind for the past month. I wasn't sure where the band was headed. We didn't have much direction at the moment. The other band members, I know for sure would be dedicated and committed to the very end, but lately we've been so busy. I've been working on a few compositions but there wasn't anything great I could put together for us to strongly come back into the music scene.

"Well…I'm not sure exactly," I honestly answered, "All I know is that if I can get all the band members together and discuss our comeback, I think we can do it."

"Any idea on what concept to comeback with?" My manager asked again, "Last time I spoke with you, you said you wanted to revamp the band's image."

"Yeah, I still do," I nodded, "I just don't feel like we should revamp the band's image as our comeback."

He arched a brow, "That would be the perfect move, you'll be able to start afresh and also garner new fans, not the old ones."

"There are still some songs I want to produce that goes with the image we have now," I explained, "I feel that if I change it right away, I won't be able to put these out."

Akio thought deeply.

"Have you talked to everyone about this?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"I haven't found time for us to get together," I folded my hands together on the table, "I did arrange band practice with them next week though."

"I don't want to restrict you guys from doing what you want because I think that all of you are capable of great things," Akio said, "Don't forget that your fans are waiting for you, but they won't wait around forever."

His blunt remark struck a nerve. Our group had loyal fans, but I know that with new bands and music popping up one after another, if we don't make our mark in the music scene, we will be forgotten easily. I was torn between staying the way we are or becoming something more. If we become enormously popular, things will become harder on us despite the successes we achieve from it.

"Alright, I understand," I told my manager as he nodded in response. He finished the remainder of his coffee and stood up.

"Don't worry about the coffee, it's on me," He added, "Since this discussion is just about over, I can finally go home to my adorable daughter, Midori!"

I could see my manager's face light up immediately at the thought of his daughter. If it's one thing he loved, it was his family. I can tell you right now that nearly every photo he has sent to me through text was pictures of him and his family and his daughter just doing basic daily things.

"How's that little rascal doing these days?" I chuckled. I could see Akio scrolling through his phone before shoving it in my face.

"DID I TELL YOU THAT SHE FINALLY STARTED WALKING!?" He exclaimed, "Watch her wobble her way to Hanako!"

I moved back to focus my eyes on his phone and I could see his daughter indeed wobble her way to his wife. He pulled his phone back and his eye gleamed in happiness. Seeing his expression makes me wonder what kind of dad I'll end up being in the future.

"Alright, I'm heading out, Yamato," He gave me a pat on the back as he left. I sat there for a while, staring down at the cup of coffee on the table. There was a lot to think about.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"Okay…uh-huh," I listened. I scribbled down a few more things on the piece of paper in front of me. I had the brilliant idea of calling Takeru and asking him what Yamato might like for his lunch. I told his brother that I owed Yamato for helping me. He was pretty surprised that Yamato was asking for something in return. I told him that I wanted to show my appreciation so it was fine.

"I didn't know he liked that," I continued, writing down something once more, "It shouldn't be too difficult to make. Haha, yeah, it pays off when my mom loves cooking."

I hear the rattling of the doorknob coming from the front door of the apartment.

"Ah, Takeru, he's back, so I'll talk to you later!" I bid my goodbyes, "Thanks a lot for helping me!"

Standing up from my desk, I walked out to the door to greet Yamato.

"Welcome back," I said. I saw him take off his shoes slowly, before looking up.

"Thanks," He replied.

"How was your meeting with your manager?" I asked, "You were out for quite a while, it's dark now."

"It was okay," He said, putting on slippers and walking past me, "We just talked about what the plans are for the Teenage Wolves."

Opening the fridge, Yamato pulled some leftovers we had from yesterday.

"Have you thought about that?" I wondered.

He placed the leftovers on the counter and stared at them in silence.

"I'm going to go shower," He announced. I watched him walk out the kitchen and towards his room. **He must definitely have been thinking about it…**

I could hear Yamato shuffle in his room before heading to the bathroom and closing the door. He wasn't in a bad mood, but I could tell he had a lot on his mind.

Placing my hands on my hips, I walked over to the fridge and saw the leftovers on the counter.

"I guess if I make him something small, it wouldn't kill me," I sighed. I grabbed some ingredients from the refrigerator and got to work.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

Steam clouded the bathroom as I got dressed after getting out of the shower. I was so dazed after my talk with Akio. I stayed behind for a least an hour and a half, thinking about the Teenage Wolves. I didn't think about the band the whole time, but it did have a snowball effect that I ended up thinking about my life, my career and where my future was headed in general. I was planning to eat first because I was hungry, but I thought if I took a shower, it would help clear my mind.

"Well, it didn't clear my mind entirely, but at least I'm refreshed," I told myself, wiping off some steam that covered the mirrors of the bathroom. I grabbed a small towel and placed it over my head before opening the door.

As soon as I did, a comforting scent greeted my nose. The apartment was warmer than it was earlier and I could hear Mimi humming in the kitchen.

Walking towards the direction of the scent and noise, I ruffled my hair with my towel and stopped mid-step before entering the kitchen.

Mimi continued humming to herself as she stirred up something on the stove. She was wearing a black apron with pink patterned straps that tied around her neck and back in bows. There were pink bows on the sides of the apron where the pockets were. The upper and bottom rims of the dress were mended nicely as ruffles with the same pink patterns like the straps.

She turned around after my footsteps stopped, I diverted my gaze on her elsewhere.

"I made miso soup," She beamed. She poured two bowls of miso soup and placed it on the table. I noticed that she heated up the leftovers and had them all ready on the table.

"I thought that some miso soup would be nice right now," She explained, "It was something I could whip up fast, so dig in!"

"Thanks, Mimi," I expressed my gratitude, picking up my chopsticks,"You didn't have to get all the food ready for me."

"It's fine, how's that for peasant treatment?" She grinned, grabbing her spoon for her soup. I watched her blow the steam coming off the miso soup before sipping it cautiously. Her face lit up as she embraced the taste of the soup in her mouth. I couldn't help, but smile at her.

I followed suit and tried the miso soup. It was indeed tasty. Miso soup wasn't difficult to make so it would be hard for someone to get it wrong, but it made me feel better and a tad more relaxed after today.

"Does it taste okay?" She asked me, as she continued sipping her soup.

"If you ended up making bad miso soup, I would actually be concerned about my lunch at the end of the week," I chuckled.

"Yamato…" A tone of disappointment was heard in her voice.

"I'm kidding, it tastes great," I added before she lashed out on me.

"I thought so," She answered in truimph, "Don't underestimate me, this is just a sample of my awesome cooking skills!"

 **Confident girl, isn't she?**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"That should be it," Takeru wiped his forehead with the top of his hand, displaying his efforts of carrying in my groceries, "Where's Nii-san?"

"He said something about staying after class for something," I mumbled, "We went separately after class today because I told him I had errands to do."

I was with Takeru today after class because it was time for me to work on Yamato's lunch. I had suggested we both go grocery shopping together for the ingredients, but apparently, the apartment needed to be restocked with everything, not just food. Takeru ended up driving over to our campus and picking me up and going along with everything I had to take care of today. Yamato didn't know my errands included being with his little brother for the evening.

"Hahahaha, errands as in this?" He asked, pointing to the several bags of groceries scattered on the floor and table of the apartment.

"Yes, it's like I told you on the phone," I nodded, "I have to make him that lunch that he won't shut up about since he asked for it. That and our fridge was already empty so…"

Takeru massaged his shoulder muscles, "You should have warned me."

"I'm sorry, you were only supposed to help me pick out ingredients," I apologized, "You ended up driving and carrying everything."

"Nah, this is nothing," He brushed it off, "You need me to sort out anything for you?"

"You're so sweet, Takeru," I started, "You can just relax in the living room."

I pushed him out of the kitchen because he was reluctant to leave me be, but eventually surrendered and threw his backpack on the couch, along with himself. I could see him unzip his backpack, pulling out some papers. He probably had some homework to do. Takeru was almost the opposite of his older brother. He was an optmistic, easygoing person and for the most part, understanding. I never had any issues hanging out with him and I know that he was really patient with Yamato. I think Takeru was probably the only person Yamato wouldn't snap or be stubborn with, so on both sides, they balanced each other out. Despite their family situation, they cherished each other as brothers.

I started to sort out the groceries. Takeru probably didn't notice, but I got a little extra, just so I can make him something for helping me out today. He'll be happy when I give it to him before he leaves.

I decided to make 2 boxes for both of them because I knew both the brothers had quite an appetite. The first box would include original ham and egg sandwiches, with a portion of fruit. The second box would be seasame topped rice with stir-fried string beans and seasoned beef along with a small cob of steamed corn. I also thought that adding at least 2 more rice balls with tuna-mayo filling would satsify their appetites if that wasn't enough. My plan was simple enough, most of the foods don't take too much time to prepare.

"Oh." I stopped my trail of thoughts shortly out loud. **I can't believe I almost forgot about myself…**

This was going to take a lot longer than I thought.

"Mimi, you okay?" I heard Takeru's voice chime in, "It got quiet all of a sudden in the kitchen."

"Yeah! Don't worry about me, just do your homework, Takeru!" I answered.

"You suddenly sound like my mother," He laughed, "Just let me know if you need me to do anything!"

I thanked him and put my apron over my head, tying it back. It's been quite a while since I made a bento, but I was pumped and ready.

The next few hours of the evening were dedicated to making the bentos. Takeru was dillgently working on his assignments and chilling out in the living room.

"Finished!" I declared, beaming as I looked at the boxes on the table. Takeru heard my announcement and came from the other room. I had my hands on my hips and looked over to him as he stood next to me.

"Whoah! That looks delicious," He complimented, "You've outdone yourself, I think Nii-san will enjoy it!"

"Right!?" I agreed, "I even made you a box to take home!"

I wrapped Takeru's portion in a hankerchief and he looked at me, surprised.

"Don't forget it when you leave tonight," I told him. He thanked me happily. I placed the other 2 boxed lunches into a drawstring bag to match before taking it to the fridge.

"Mimi, your fingers…" Takeru started as I looked at them. I had totally forgotten that I accidentally cut a few while preparing the lunch. They were already bandaged so that's why he noticed them.

"Oh, these are just scratches," I reassured him, "Probably because I haven't really cooked and prepared so much in a while."

"Meems, I'll enjoy your lunch to the fullest tomorrow!" Takeru shouted suddenly, startling me, "YOU CAN COUNT ON IT!"

I don't know what came over Takeru, but he had the most emotional look on his face as he helped me clean up. He insisted on washing all the dishes, but I refused stubbornly. In the end, I lost and Takeru washed the dishes and I was in charge of drying and putting them away. I was starting to wonder why couldn't Yamato be more like his gentlemanly brother.

"I'm back!" I heard Yamato's voice as the door slammed in the front. I placed a cup on the dish rack.

Yamato's guitar case hit the floor with a thud as he made his way through the hall.

"I stayed after to play with some of my classmates," He explained, "What s-….Takeru!"

"Hey," His little brother gave him a salute before continuing to wash his dishes, "I'm keeping Mimi company today."

"Never have time to keep your older brother company, but when Mimi's around, you suddenly appear?" Yamato joked, punching his shoulder, "Did you guys cook something up? I could smell it from the door."

"Mimi was working on lunch tomorrow," Takeru explained, handing me the last dish to dry as he turned off the faucet.

"Lunch? Does this mean-" Yamato took off his jacket.

"Yes, your bento is finished," I answered. Yamato's tired expression disappeared and he smiled.

Yamato grabbed his stuff and walked inside his room, notifying us that he was going to shower.

We heard the door slam. Takeru and I finished cleaning and sat together on the couch in the living room.

"Nii-san looked relieved," Takeru started.

"Relieved? Relieved that he isn't going to starve for lunch tomorrow?" I laughed.

"Well that but also he seems more relaxed," He continued, "I think living with you has been comforting to him."

"It's only been a few weeks, Takeru," I quickly brushed off his comment, "The only thing about me that comforts him is that I keep this apartment from looking like an Ishida disaster."

Takeru chuckled.

"Nii-san used to only live with our dad," Takeru explained his thought, "Our dad was always working, so Yamato spent a lot of time by himself. I think whenever he comes back home and sees someone there, it's comforting to him."

I plaed my fingers near my chin, thinking about what Takeru just said. **Hmm…**

"You guys want to go out and grab something to eat?" Yamato asked, coming out from the hallway, interrupting us, "Unless Mimi cooked something up, I think we're out of leftovers."

I raised my hands up, "Sorry, Yamato, I didn't make enough for dinner."

"Going out it is," Takeru raised his hand, "I vote Nii-san to drive!"

Takeru stood up from the couch and marched off to the front as Yamato insisted that his little brother be the one driving seeing how he just got home. Their sibling bickerings continued until we left the apartment.

'How much longer…" I whispered to Izumi as she was tapping her pencil on her paper. She mouthed an "I don't know" and checked her phone, then telling me we still had another half hour. The class I was in at the moment was boring and the professor was rambling away. It was the end of the week and I was waiting for it to be over.

I started to sketch on my paper because I was done paying attention today.

"What happened to your fingers?" Izumi whispered, pointing at the bandages over a few of them.

I wrote "I was cooking" on my paper and slid it over to her. She giggled and wrote "someone was working hard to pack lunch for her boyfriend, wasn't she?"

I coughed at her question and whispered loudly, "Not even!"

She giggled again, "If you say so."

I told her about how I had to make Yamato a lunch and for some reason, she loved to tease me about him even though she knows we're just friends. No matter how many times I denied it, she continued finding amusement in pushing my buttons.

Soon, class was over and I happily started to pack up my stuff.

"It's lunchtime," Izumi smiled, "You know what that means!"

She nudged me.

"You're ridiculous, Izumi," I shrugged her off. I checked my phone and Takeru had texted me a thanks for the lunch. He told me that it was delicious and he bragged to all his guy friends about it to make them jealous. Attached was a picture of himself eating my lunch, with a peace sign and chopsticks in his mouth.

"Oh, that Takeru," I smiled. Both Izumi and I went our separate ways once we left class.

I made my way to the meeting place. Earlier when I was packing my stuff in class, I saw the lunch snuggled at the bottom of my bag. I wonder how Yamato would like what I made. If his brother was sold, then there's no chance of him not liking it.

I got to the meeting place and realized it was deserted.

"That's strange…Taichi and Sora should already be here," I said to myself, walking towards the tree and setting my bag down. I took the drawstring lunch bag and set it on my lap, looking around to see if any of my friends were nearby. No sign of them.

I checked my phone and I saw a text from Sora. She had plans with Taichi because their last classes ended at noon.

"Meems!" I heard someone call my name and looked up. Yamato gave me a wave and started walking towards me.

"Yamato! Taichi and Sora have plans, so they won't be here today," I told him.

"Koushiro said he'll meet up with us soon, his class ends in 10 minutes," Yamato notified me of our other friend's whereabouts.

"I see… that's why no one was here at this time," I scratched my face. Yamato sat down next to me, tossing his backpack to the side.

"Takeru texted me and told me your lunch was great," He started, "So, I'm ready for it."

I nodded and unraveled the string of the bag and pulled out Yamato's lunchbox.

"My debt has been paid," I joked, handing it to him.

Yamato had a surprised look on his face.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

I watched Mimi open the bag that contained my lunchbox. She grinned.

"My debt has been paid," She said in a jokingly tone, handing it to me. **Her fingers…**

Last night, when Mimi raised her hands and told me that she didn't make enough food for dinner, I noticed that there were bandages on her fingers, but seeing them up close now, I felt guilty. She didn't complain at all about the injuries she got on her hands.

"Mimi…did you hurt yourself yesterday, making this?" I asked her, enveloping her hands that were holding onto my lunchbox. Her hands flinched under mine.

"I-It's no big deal! You can't be a good cook with a few cuts here and there," She brushed it off, smiling. **First, she almost gets hurt with the fans and then she's getting hurt over making me lunch.**

I moved my hands from hers and grabbed the box out of her hands.

She returned to opening her box and grabbing her chopsticks.

"Let's eat!" She announced.

I opened my box and the first box that was stacked on the second, revealed neatly cut ham and cheese sandwiches situated next to two rice balls. There was fruit separated on the opposite of the box. I put that aside on a hankerchief, Mimi had put beside us and the second box revealed rice with stirfried beans and seasoned beef along with a sweet cob of corn. She made so much different food, I was pretty shocked. **How long did it take for her to make all of this?**

"Mimi," I said. She turned to look at me as I nudged a sandwich right into her mouth.

She moved back suddenly and grab it before it fell. I could she her chewing, frantically and chuckled.

"YAMATO! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?" She shouted, after she swallowed. I grabbed a rice ball and bit into it. The rice was soft and the nori gave it a salty taste, which complimented the tuna mayo filling.

"I could have-" She continued and I pushed a grape into her mouth, her teeth almost biting my finger in the process.

She smacked my hand back and I started laughing.

"That's enough!" She yelled, in between chews.

"Alright, alright," I put my hands up, surrendering.

"Honestly, Yamato," She sighed, "I could have choked to death."

I couldn't help myself, I had to take one last jab at her.

"Fine, if you're that angry, you can always get back at me," I started, "Give me one of those."

I pointed to the fruits in her bento as her eyes followed.

"No," she refused, munching on her portion of sandwiches, "You'd enjoy it too much."

 **She's catching onto me…**

"Well, if you really want to let me win, then-" I continued, before I felt her shove the remaining bits of her riceball into my mouth. I almost choked at her sudden actions.

"HAH, now you know what it feels like to almost choke on food while-" She gloated. I grabbed both of her hands so she couldn't fight back and took more grapes from my lunchbox, attempting to get even.

"No, NO! You're going to waste my whole lunch!Oh my gosh stop, Yamato!" She shrieked, resisting and squirming at me.

 **Kasumi's Point of View**

"Lunch, lunch, lunch…" I murmurred to myself, walking down the halls with that one thing on my mind. My stomach was grumbling and if I didn't get something to eat, I'll probably fall asleep in my next class. Heading towards the student union, I spotted Mimi and Yamato at the tree close by.

I saw Mimi handing Yamato a box. He seemed hesitant at first. I kept a closer eye on the two.

Suddenly, I saw Yamato placed his hands on Mimi's.

He had a solemn look on his face as he exchanged words with her, which she replied with a smile.

I hastily fumbled for my camera, and turned it on, moving behind a pillar and zooming in on the scene I saw before me.

 **They're not dating, are they? Mimi told me they weren't…**

Yamato moved his hands and grabbed the box out of Mimi's and I sighed. I missed a perfect shot. I continued to watch them carefully. Yamato opened the box and looked surprised. I saw him pause and side-glance to Mimi, who was just about to eat. He said something and then quickly placed a sandwich into Mimi's mouth.

I held onto my camera tightly. **This is my chance..!**

Just when I was about to snap the picture, someone bumped into me causing me to stumble forward on my feet.

"Ow! Watch it!" I yelled, angrily. I turned around and noticed a red-haired boy in front of me. He was carrying a laptop.

"Sorry," He apologized. I snapped out of the commotion and quickly checked my camera's contents. The picture snapped, but it was insanely blurry. **Dammit! It would have came out perfect if it wasn't for this guy bumping into me right when I snapped the photo.**

"Aww man!" I sighed loudly.

"I'm sorry! Did I break your camera?" I heard the boy's voice enter my thoughts. I didn't realize he was still here.

"No, you didn't," I replied to him, "It's fine."

"Okay, good, sorry about that really," He continued. I nodded quietly and he gave me a small smile before walking past me. I watched him go and noticed he was heading right to Mimi and Yamato. Mimi and Yamato seemed to have transitioned to wrangling each other throughout the whole commotion I went through. There was nothing for me to take a picture of now.

I thought again deeply. **I have a feeling, this won't be the last chance I'll get…**

Turning off my camera, I smiled at myself, walking away from the trio. This wasn't going to be my last chance. I know it. **Soon, I'll be able to mess up Ishida's life.**

 _YAY! That ends chapter 5. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm guessing you guys didn't expect that ending. What is the motive behind Kasumi's actions? I don't think there are any other questions other than that that need to be answered in this chapter. Hahaha. Anyways, I apologize again for the delay. I've been busy with my schedule so it's hard to find time to write and update, but I appreciate all of you that are waiting patiently for the release. You guys are the real MVP! Hehe. Please read & review! Thanks for reading guys. See you in the next chapter! –Chii (1/28/16)_


	6. Chapter 6: Paparazzi Love

_Hi hi! I'm baaack! And when I'm back, that means another chapter. In the previous chapter, Mimi made Yamato a lunchbox just as promised. During that time, Kasumi happened to pass by and wanted to use that opportunity to snap some photos of Yamato and Mimi! What are her motives? Time will tell. Anyways, you guys probably aren't even reading this, so I might as well get started writing this chapter. Enjoy. – Chii_

 _Italics = author's notes_

 **Bold = person's thoughts**

 _ **Bold Italics = telephone conversations**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

Chapter 6 Paparazzi Love

 **Mimi's Point of View**

A few weeks passed since the lunch with Yamato and college started to pick up. Things didn't really change for us two, we would still carpool together and if we had other plans, we would go separately. I've been studying pretty hard and I didn't realize how many projects I had to do for my classes. It was indeed a tough curriculum. Yamato has been pretty busy himself. Besides his classes, he was constantly going out to meet up with his manager and bandmates. He's begun to prepare for his band's long-awaited comeback. I would always hear him return to the apartment at a late hour where I was already in bed. I give him props for not skipping any classes so far despite of it all. We decided to become more organized on our chores. We would take turns cooking dinner each day and cleaning the apartment. Our laundry and room cleaning were done separately and we had a policy to always tell each other if anyone is coming over, whether it's people we both knew mutually or not. I hate to admit but Yamato was much more of a slob than I thought. I had to tell him several times to do his chores we split and sometimes we would get into small quarrels, but after a while, things became normal again. It was a cycle. Sometimes I see Yamato coming home late on several occasions that I felt bad so even if he did slack off, I would let it go. This past week we're both super busy and tired, so I feel like we'll run into a bickering soon...

"It seems like the war you had with Ishida's fans died down, didn't it?" Kasumi asked, walking with me in the halls of the campus. She glanced around at all the girls, surprised.

"Yeah, Yamato took care of them for me a while back," I told her, "Last time I talked to the president of the fanclub, she said we reached a truce. So I'm safe, for now anyways."

"Wow, Ishida actually did something?" She crossed her arms, "I'm quite shocked."

We continued walking and I turned to look at her, "Why are you shocked?"

"Isn't he that type of guy that could care less about anybody but himself?" She asked, coldly. I thought about it for a while.

"If you just met him, you would think so," I answered, "…But, Yamato does care a lot about his friends."

"Are you sure about that?" Kasumi slyly smiled at me, "More like he cares a lot about you."

She nudged me with her elbow.

"I saw you two eating lunch together by yourselves, a few weeks ago," She admitted, "He was feeding you and holding your hands and everything."

"HAH, you saw that!?" I let out a laugh, "No, no you got the wrong idea, he just does those things because he thinks it's funny. He's lucky I'm not the type of person to get annoyed about it."

"Any girl that walked past during that moment wouldn't have thought he was doing it just because he's bored. I can see it, Ishida has his eye specifically on you," She explained, "Besides, what kind of guy would always wait for a girl so often after class? Don't lie to me, I've seen him around."

I could feel my heartbeat pound just a little faster. **Is that how it is?**

My expression became solemn and I put my hand under my chin and started to think deeply. **Not possible.**

"Oh, Mimi! Don't look so serious!" Kasumi laughed loudly, as she smacked my back, "I'm joking."

She stuck her tongue out, "Well, half joking."

Patting my back one more time, and looking up, Kasumi noticed something.

"Speak of the devil," She simply stated, "There's someone else that requires your attention, so I'll talk to you later!"

She waved and watched her jog past me. Also, right past Yamato. I froze. I could see that he tried greeting her, but she zoomed past him. He furrowed his eyebrows confusedly and turned to look back at her.

"Well, okay," He frowned, shoving his hands back into his pockets, before looking directly at me, "Meems."

I eyed Yamato as he walked towards me, observing his features. His hair was messily styled and he wore a black tee underneath a dark blue button down shirt. He always had his backpack on one side of his shoulder with a nonchalant look on his face. He was carrying his bass with him today. It was slung on his other shoulder in a gig bag. For someone who lived like such a slob, he sure knew how to dress well.

"What?" He asked, confused at my gaze on him.

"Nothing," I relaxed myself, "Were you looking for me?"

"Do you have plans tonight?" He wondered. My heart skipped a beat at those words. I mentally shook off what Kasumi just said a few seconds ago. **Not possible.**

"I don't have anything to do tonight," I replied, "What's up?"

"I wanted to take you somewhere," He explained, "It's the end of the week."

I looked at him suspiciously that I could tell he was growing uncomfortable.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" He asked, "By the way, that new friend of yours…"

"Kasumi?" I said.

"Yeah, Mashiro, she's isn't very friendly, is she?" He continued, "She just ignored me when I tried to say hi to her."

"She's been friendly to me," I told him, "Maybe it's just your imagination."

He lightly shrugged and we started walking together.

"So where are we going?" I questioned.

"You'll see," He vaguely answered.

Yamato parked the car and I followed him into a building.

He walked up the counter and took out his badge from his pocket.

"Ah, Mr. Ishida," The person smiled, "Welcome back, your bandmates just came in earlier."

He nodded and thanked her. **Bandmates?**

"I'd like to give one of my friends here a visitor pass to the music studio," He said, as the helpdesk person pulled out a form and placed it on the counter.

"Please fill this out," She instructed, handing me a pen.

"We're going to your music studio?!" I quickly turned to Yamato in astonishment. He grinned.

I became excited. Ever since I went to America, I never got a chance to hear Yamato and his band record or even practice. I've always heard about it from Takeru and Sora, but now I get to see it with my own eyes.

"Does everyone have visitor passes to the studio?" I asked, writing down my information on the form.

"Yeah, our friends do," He answered, "Our band as a total can only authorize 10 people, but my manager, Akio was able to get the raise the limit to 15."

"Oh, how cool," I admired, "Your manager is so great, Yamato."

"He trusts our judgment a lot, so I don't think he'd mind letting us bring in more people," Yamato explained further, "As long as they're not crazy fans."

He chuckled and I turned in my form. The lady told me to stand in front of computer so I could take my picture for my ID.

After a few minutes of waiting, she printed my badge and handed it to me in a plastic protective cover with a clip on a lanyard. I placed it around my neck.

Happiness bubbled inside me. I can't believe I have a badge to Yamato's music studio and band practice room.

"Alright, you're all set, have a nice day," The desk person waved.

We walked into the elevator and Yamato pressed the button for the third floor.

"The recording studio and rehearsal practice room are on the same floor," He told me, "the practice room is at the end of the hall to the left from the elevator and the recording studio is the first door to the right."

I nodded, doing my best to remember just in case I stop by another time when Yamato isn't around.

"We're going to the practice room today because there's no meeting to record," He told me, "I could already hear Hiroto warming up on his drums."

Yamato chuckled as I could feel the percussion resonate the hall we were walking through.

He pulled open the door and I was greeted with a lounge-like area. At the center of the room was a slightly elevated stage where the instruments, mics, and amps were. There were 2 sofas, the pair was aligned adjacent from each other against the left wall, with a coffee table in between. Lockers were on the right side near the entrance/exit of the room. It almost seemed like a karaoke room, but with a stage for a band in the center instead of a tv screen.

"Can this room fit 15 people?" I wondered, taking note of its size.

"Of course not, that's maximum capacity," Yamato laughed, "If anything, we can bring foldable chairs or people start sitting on the floor.

"YAMATO!" I heard an energetic voice shout Yamato's name. I barely noticed that 3 other boys were in the room. They were all on the stage already.

The one with the energetic stepped down from the stage and ran towards the both of us.

"For once, I'm not the one coming in late to practice," He grinned, punching Yamato on the shoulder.

Yamato brushed him off and the guy took notice of my presence.

"Oooh, who's this?" He asked, "She's a real cutie."

I was caught off guard by his bold statement and moved back as he looked closely at my face.

"Tetsuya, you're scaring her, move back," The one adjusting his guitar on stage warned.

"Oh com'n, Shinn! How can I resist? Her pretty face catches my eye," The energetic one retorted. The drummer in the back just watched the whole scene in silence as he lightly tapped his cymbals. **So this guy in front of me is named Tetsuya and the one with the guitar on stage is named Shinn…Yamato mentioned Hiroto on drums, so that must be the quiet guy in the back.**

"Yamato, why aren't you introducing us?!" The energetic one continued. Yamato sighed.

"Mimi, the loudmouth in front of you is Tetsuya. He's the subvocal, rapper and guitarist of the Teenage Wolves," Yamato introduced us, "Tetsuya, this is Mimi Tachikawa, my childhood friend. She recently came back from Amer-"

"Mimi!? A cute name to match that cute face," He grinned, holding out his hand, "I'm Tetsuya Karino, at your service."

Tetsuya had spiky, light brown hair that was parted stylishly in the front. Part of his side bangs were clipped to the side with a clip in shaped of an "X." He seemed to be the lively one of the bunch.

I proceeded to shake his hand, but he gently held it in his instead.

"Yamato never mentioned he had such a pretty friend in America," He beamed, "I look forward to knowing you more, Mimi!"

"Enough, Tetsuya," Yamato lightly shoved his bandmate, just enough to break the grasp he had on me.

Tetsuya stuck out his tongue at Yamato in a playful manner and walked back towards the stage to set up his guitar.

I could see the other guitarist making his way towards Yamato and I.

"Mimi-chan, is it? I'm Shinn Ootori," He had his finger pointed towards himself, "I am a subvocal and the lead guitarist."

I looked at him and he was taller than Yamato. He had a small, pleasant smile on his face. He had charcoal black hair with some red highlights on his sharp bangs. Unlike Tetsuya's spiky hair, his hairstyle was more reserved as it rested on his head. I noticed that he had a piercing on his left ear. Despite his appearance, he acted quite gentlemanly.

"Shinn is the oldest out of all of us. He's older than Tetsuya and me by 2 years and Hiroto by 3," Yamato continued, "Aside from being our lead guitarist, he also plays the keyboard. He's really a jack of all trades."

"How come I don't get complimented as much as Shinn?" Tetsuya asked from the stage.

Both Shinn and Yamato ignored Tetsuya.

"It's nice to meet you, Mimi-chan," he shook my hand, "Yamato sure likes to keep the charming girls to himself, doesn't he?"

"Shinn…," Yamato looked at his bandmate dully. He laugh quietly, before readjusting his guitar strap.

The two guitarists continued their preparations and I placed my bag on the sofa. There was still one other person that I didn't become acquainted with yet. He was idling around with his drums in the back. He had black hair, but when light reflected on it, it looked dark blue. His bangs covered one of his eyes, making him look a bit cold and hard to approach. His hair was partly spiked near the top of his head. I made eye contact with him and smiled. He just stared at me a little bit before getting back to tapping his drums.

"Hiroto Yoshida is the drummer, He's the youngest one out of all of us. You guys are the same age." Yamato pointed out when he noticed I was looking at Hiroto, "He's quiet, but he's friendly."

"It's nice to meet you, Hiroto! I look forward to talking to you!" I yelled from where I was standing, startling him. I swore I could have seen him crack a small smile just a little at my actions.

 **Yamato's bandmates are quite the characters, alright.**

I giggled, plopping down on the sofa.

"What is it, Mimi?" Yamato asked, as he unzipped his gig bag, taking out his bass.

"Oh, it's nothing, I'm just happy," I answered.

"Yo! Taichi is here!" I heard Taichi's voice as he opened the door and made his grand entrance. Sora and Koushiro were both walking behind him along with everyone else I didn't expect to see.

"Takeru, Hikari! Daisuke!?" I exclaimed, seeing a familiar wine-red colored haired boy. He gave me a thumbs up and I ran over to hug him.

"Long time, no see! How are you?!" I asked. He scratched his head.

"Oh y'know, the same ol'. Just dating Hikari and-" He answered, before Takeru grabbed a fistful of Daisuke's hair.

"OW, Takeru! I was just joking!" He shouted, as Takeru let go and Hikari sweatdropped. **Hikari still hasn't decided, has she?**

"Ken and Miyako couldn't make it today," Daisuke continued, "I guess that's what happens when they're both class representatives and have to actually be responsible."

"Aw, that's a shame! I wanted to see them," I pouted.

"Kouji! Izumi!" I heard Yamato's voice interrupt us as he waved over to the two. They had just walked in together along with another person I didn't recognize.

"Yamato, thanks for inviting us," Kouji gave his friend a quick pat on the shoulder. Izumi grinned at me.

"Takuya also made it!" Taichi shouted, sprinting over to the unfamiliar face.

"Hey guys!" The guy named Takuya announced. Yamato introduced me to both Kouji and Takuya at once. It seemed like they were both friends with Izumi. Kouji was in Yamato's classes and major, while Takuya was on the same soccer team as Taichi.

Everyone got settled down on the couch and proceeded to chitchat. I noticed that Takuya was really friendly to Izumi that I questioned if he actually liked her. It was something I had to ask her about later. Seeing my old friends and making new ones was a good feeling. We listened to Yamato rehearse with his band with some of their old songs for quite a while. Soon, it got late and people started to leave. First, the highschoolers, then the new friend trio, and then Koushiro, Sora and Taichi.

"Alright guys, I think that ends band practice," Yamato wiped the sweat off his brow with a small white towel. Hiroto pounded his drums one last time, to end the practice and Shinn took off his guitar and fanned himself in accomplishment.

My eyes wandered over to Tetsuya who was lightly strumming his electric guitar after unplugging it from the amp. He looked up and his eyes met mine. Out of reflex, I diverted my eyes elsewhere in the room.

"Mimi!" He suddenly called my name. I hesitantly made eye contact with him again. He had a smile on his face, "C'mere for a second."

He signaled me to come over. I got up from the sofa and walked towards him.

"Have you ever held a guitar before?" He asked. I thought about the time that I was messing around with Yamato's guitars and ended up getting scolded for it.

"Well…not exactly…" I replied, recalling that bad memory in my head.

I felt a heavy weight fall on my shoulders. Tetsuya had adjusted his guitar and its strap securely on me. Placing his hands at the sides of his waist, he grinned again.

"Wearing a guitar suits you," He complimented, "The guitar you have on you is one of my favorites."

 **Tetsuya is letting me actually hold onto his precious guitar? Yamato was so uptight over me holding his.**

"Do you mind…if I play with it?" I asked as Tetsuya's expression became surprised, "Although I don't know exactly how to play…"

"Of course you can! Strum away as much as you want," He permitted, cheerfully, "Why else would I lend it to you?" **Tetsuya's really nice!**

I nodded and he handed me a guitar pick, explaining to me that using one can allow for a more consistent sound when playing, instead of just strumming with your hands.

I started to strum lightly and I could hear the rather quiet sounds of my actions.

"Yeah, if you were plugged in the amplifer, the note that you're playing would be much louder," he said, "Although you're just strumming. Try playing a note."

I pressed my fingers on the strings and tried strumming again, but this time the sound was muffled. I tried again with the same result.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion while I could feel Tetsuya looking at me.

"Why isn't it-" I started, getting angry before I was interrupted by Tetsuya's laugh.

"Mimi, Mimi," He repeated my name as I frantically tried to strum the heck out of his guitar so it would produce a clear sound, "Here."

I watched him move behind me and he gently grabbed my arm and with his other fingers were hovering over mine.

He was so close I could feel his breath on my neck. I flinched at his actions and moved back, my back bumping into the front of his chest.

"If you want the sound to be clear, you have to press down hard on the strings," He advised. I pressed down harder on the strings with the help of his fingers over mine and I felt him move my arm so I could strum. A perfect note resonated from the guitar.

My eyes lit up in happiness and I turned my head to the side, "It really did!"

That's when I noticed that his face was inches away from mine.

I unexpectedly blushed. **Wah…That's really close!**

 **Yamato's Point of View**

I unplugged my bass guitar and took it off my shoulders as I leaned down to unzip my gig bag Today's rehearsal was over and I worked up quite a sweat. It was always nice being able to play whenever I got the chance. I glanced at everyone left in the room; it was just me, my band members, and Mimi. Everyone else had left. Hiroto was putting his drum sticks away, while Shinn was giving himself a break as he fanned himself and drank some water. Tetsuya unplugged his guitar and he looked up and I followed his gaze onto Mimi. She was looking at him, before she turned her attention elsewhere. **What was that…**

"Mimi!" I heard Tetsuya's voice call her name, "C'mere for a second." My attention went to Mimi, who got out of her seat, walking over to him.

"Have you ever held a guitar before?" He asked her. She paused and shook her head. My eyes widened as I saw Tetsuya placed his guitar and the strap over her, letting it settle down gently on her shoulders.

She looked surprised and asked him something timidly. **Is Mimi...**

I clenched my fist, looking at the two. I forced myself to turn away from what I saw and hastily pack my bag.

"Yamato…careful, you're going to end up damaging your guitar if you push it in the bag like that," I heard Shinn's voice wrap itself into my thoughts.

I stopped what I was doing and I realized I was gripping my guitar really tightly.

Shinn's hearty laugh rang into my ears.

"You're usually the gentlest one when it comes to handling your instruments," He pointed out, "Are you in a rush to go somewhere?"

I loosen the grip on my guitar and I could see the indentations of it on my hand. **I've never done that before…**

I closed my eyes tightly. A wave of tiredness hit me. I didn't notice it during rehearsal, but I was exhausted. The past few weeks I've been so busy with my classes and then working on planning the Teenage Wolves comeback, and then going to practice. I haven't had much time to actually rest.

Tetsuya burst out laughing that I shifted my attention towards him out of reflex.

Mimi had a troubled expression on her face as I saw her strum his guitar.

"Mimi, Mimi," He started, "Here."

Tetsuya moved behind Mimi and grab her arm with one of his hands and then placed his other hand on her fingers that were pressing on the strings.

"If you want the sound to be clear, you have to press down hard on the strings," He advised. He helped her with the guitar and as he moved her arm to strum, a clear note was heard in the room.

Her eyes lit up and she turned to look at him with happiness expressed on her face.

They made eye contact and Mimi quickly turned her face forward and our eyes met for a second before she looked somewhere else. **Why did she look away from me with such a flustered expression on her face?**

I felt irritated.

Mimi let go of the guitar and Tetsuya helped her take it off her shoulders. She thanked him with a smile.

"Hey, Tetsuya, do you mind? Mimi and I have to go," I said, not realizing that I spoken out loud. **Shoot, why did I suddenly say that?**

Mimi and Tetsuya looked at each other, before Mimi waved at him and he nodded. I slung my gig bag over my shoulder and grabbed my backpack, walking out ahead.

I could hear Mimi telling me to wait, but I made my way out the door without a response. My mind kept replaying the two of them together in my head and I was frustrated.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"Yamato, today was really fun!" I said as he opened the door to our apartment, "It was nice seeing everyone again after so long!"

"Yeah, yeah," He answered tediously. We both walked into the kitchen where Yamato opened the fridge and grabbed a can of soda.

"Our fridge is empty," Yamato noticed, "We're going to have to go to the market tomorrow."

"Your bandmates are all so talented! You have a great band," I continued talking about the experience, "And Tetsuya… he's really nice too."

I paused and thought about how kind he was to help me with his guitar.

Yamato gave me a cold look, "Did you not hear me? We need to go to the market tomorrow, the fridge is empty. Don't make any plans."

He completely ignored what I said and walked towards his room.

"Aren't you hungry?" I asked, watching him go.

"You could eat by yourself," He muttered, before slamming the door of his room.

I placed my hands on my hips and looked at the direction he went, confused. **What's with him? He's been acting like that since we left the music studio.**

Yamato hardly spoke a word to me on the drive home. I don't know why he had such a change of attitude after he was so eager to show me the music studio he rehearses and composes in. I started to think about what could have been the cause for his sour mood and came to the conclusion that he must have been tired with all he's been doing lately. Usually when Yamato gets sulky, he always has some underlying reason and that was the most obvious one.

After eating a quick snack, I showered and got myself ready for bed. I was under the covers and getting comfortable. **Yamato said we have to go out tomorrow for groceries…**

This will be the first time I'll be going out in public with Yamato for the whole day. Usually, we would only go to school and then short meetings like today together, but never really wander around in public with other people around. **Yamato's probably going to be recognized by people and press no doubt…I hope things will be okay tomorrow…**

I didn't know how Yamato handled going out in public, but I had faith that my concerns will only stay concerns.

"Maybe I should wear something plain tomorrow…" I mumbled to myself, "Or something that won't attract attention."

My phone vibrated on my bedside table, startling me. I grabbed it and saw that Tetsuya texted me. Earlier before we left, I exchanged numbers with all of Yamato's band members.

" _ **Still awake, Mimi?" (T)**_

I smiled.

" _ **I'm getting ready for bed." (M)**_

" _ **Oh really? O-O Forgive me for interrupting." (T)**_

" _ **Hahaha, it's okay! What are you up to?" (M)**_

" _ **Lol, nothing really. You?" (T)**_

" _ **Just thinking about stuff. Yamato said our fridge is empty, so we're going to have to go to the market tomorrow." (M)**_

" _ **Oh yeah, he mentioned you two were living together, I almost forgot." (T)**_

" _ **Yamato was acting all weird when we got back." (M)**_

" _ **Weird? .-." (T)**_

" _ **Yeah, he was sulking over something." (M)**_

" _ **Sulking again? He never seems to be in an actual good mood." (T)**_

" _ **Hahah! Well, he was colder today than usual." (M)**_

" _ **How so?" (T)**_

" _ **I don't know…When I was talking about you, he just ignored me." (M)**_

" _ **You were talking about me? Oh, Mimi, I'm flattered. What did you say? ;D" (T)**_

" _ **I said you were really nice to me." (M)**_

Our quick texts halted after that one. **What's taking him so long to reply?**

After a while, he texted back.

" _ **lol." (T)**_

I sighed heavily. That's all he had to say!? Another text message came in.

" _ **That Yamato." (T)**_

I was confused.

" _ **I'll talk to him later. Don't worry about it, Mimi! Sorry for the late reply earlier. I nodded off. I'm super tired." (T)**_

I reassured him that it was fine and since it was both late, we should sleep. I bid Tetsuya good night and turned off the light before nestling under my warm blankets. **What could be Yamato's problem?**

I thought about it a little bit before shaking off my thoughts as drowsiness hit me. I opened my eyes again. **Did I do something wrong?**

I dug through my brain, wondering if I said something that might have offended him today, but nothing came to mind. This was clearly on his part and not on mine. I turned to the other side of my bed and closed my eyes tightly, trying to sleep. It was no use. Whatever caused Yamato's mood to go sour was bothering me and I would be tossing and turning until I knew at least a hint of what it was.

I pulled off my covers and slipped my feet into my slippers, sighing. **I have to ask him.**

Opening my door, I walked over to his room and knocked.

"Yamato?" I asked, "Can I come in?"

There was no answer and I tried knocking again. I looked down to the floor and I could still see light at the bottom crack of the door. **Strange…is he ignoring me again?**

My patience was wearing thin.

I turned the knob, "Look, Yamato if-"

Opening the door, I saw Yamato on the floor with his head resting in his arms at his bedside.

I noticed the trail that lead to his current state. He placed his gig bag close to the door, followed by his backpack, and then his jacket on the floor before I found him at his bedside.

"Yamato!" I rushed over. I knelt down and heard his soft breathing. He was just asleep.

I shook his shoulder, "Yamato, you can't sleep like this!"

He drowsily opened his eyes and stared at me before moving his arms off the bedside.

"What are you doing in my room?" He asked, with irritability in his voice, "I was in the middle of changing."

I let go of his shoulder. He had his hand at the collar of his shirt.

"Changing?" I asked.

"I got kind of tired so I rested on the side of my bed and dozed off," He explained, still out of it.

 **Tetsuya also said he dozed off… all of them must be tired.**

"Oh, I see…Sorry," I apologized, moving back from him, "I should leave then."

I could see Yamato was ready for bed.

"Get some rest, okay?" I said. Before I could stand up, I felt Yamato's hand pull me towards him.

I could feel the weight of Yamato's head lean onto my shoulder tiredly.

"Y-Yamato?" I asked, my heart started to beat faster.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

I felt someone shaking my shoulder and a soft voice. **Who was it? Please leave me alone, today was tiring. This week was tiring. I don't want to think anymore…**

"Yamato, you can't sleep like this!" Mimi's voice rang into my ears. I drowsily opened my eyes and Mimi was in front of me. As soon as I noticed her presence, I instantly remembered her and Tetsuya.

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked, feeling my irritation come back slowly, "I was in the middle of changing."

She let go of my shoulder and I loosened the collar of my shirt. It felt hard to breathe with her around.

"Changing?" She asked me.

"I got kind of tired so I rested on the side of my bed and dozed off," I explained the situation.

"Oh, I see…Sorry," She apologized, "I should leave then." **Why are you apologizing?**

I glanced at her at the corner of my eye and she looked concerned.

"Get some rest, okay?" She advised, with a small smile on her lips. Moving back slowly, she was ready to leave my side.

She was right here in front of me, her shoulders were small, but they would be the perfect amount of room for me to lean into them. Her sweet scent surrounded me like a fruity flower haven. Breathing steadily, I can feel this week's tension dissipating as if it was never there in the first place. It was the most relaxed I felt in a long time. This feeling, I didn't know what it was, but I didn't want it to end.

"Y-Yamato?" She asked, confusion in her tone of voice. I instantly opened eyes and saw myself holding onto her arm, resting my head into her shoulder. **When did I?!**

Moving back and standing up, I abruptly let go of her arm. My face became warm.

"What are you still doing in here!?" I exclaimed, "Who's going to be able to change and sleep if you don't get out of my room!"

"But yo-" She started, standing up. Before she could even finish, I moved behind her and pushed her out my door.

"I-I'll talk to you tomorrow! Good night!"I shouted, giving her one last gentle shove before slamming the door.

I exhaled, trying to recollect what just happened. **Just what was I doing?**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"This should be okay," I mumbled to myself, taking one last look in the mirror. My hair was tied loosely in a ponytail that rested on my right shoulder; it was accompanied with my oversized furry, black cardigan that was worn over a simply white spaghetti strapped shirt with ruffles and light blue denim shorts. I topped off my outfit with my favorite dark agenta bowler hat. I fixed the small matching colored purse I had over my shoulder that was resting at my side.

I checked the watch I had dangling on my left wrist and then remembered yesterday night's incident where Yamato grabbed my arm. I recalled his shocked expression after letting go and suddenly pushing me out his room. **That was the first time I've seen such a frantic Yamato…**

The memory of his head resting on my shoulder popped in my head. **That was also the first time he was that close to me…**

"Meems!" Yamato called my name, startling me, "You ready to go?"

I left my room in a hurry and scampered to the living room.

Yamato was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. He was wearing a wide collared black & white striped shirt with loose, rolled up sleeves along with dark navy blue denim jeans.

Hearing my footsteps, he stood up from the couch, putting on his simple black blazer.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

I nodded. **We're wearing the same colors.**

"What?" He asked, "You're staring at me. Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's just we're matching," I pointed out.

He looked at his own clothing choice before putting his sunglasses on.

"Is the peasant not worthy of matching her highness?" He smirked.

"Wear whatever you want, I'll still be prettier than you," I snorted, walking ahead of him.

I could hear Yamato grab his car keys off the latch on the wall as he walked behind me.

 **Yesterday was so weird and he's acting like nothing happened. I never really seen Matt** **act like that towards me.**

 **He's usually making jokes and driving me crazy, but yesterday…was different.** **I wonder how it's going** **to** **be t** **oday, especially since I'm going to** **be with him in public. I hope nothing bad happens.**

"Mimi!" I turned around at the sound of my name.

Yamato was side-glancing me.

"Geez, I called your name 3 times," He mentioned, "Did you not get enough sleep last night or something?"

"Ah, no!" I shook my head, "I just had something on my mind from yesterday…"

"Yesterday?" He asked.

I pressed my phone's home button and didn't realize Tetsuya had texted me this morning.

" _ **Good morning, Mimiiiiiiiiiii~~~ (^u^) 3!" (T)**_

"How many "I's" is he going to put behind my name?" I laughed quietly.

"Him?" Yamato asked again.

"Tetsuya," I replied simply, typing a reply to him in my phone. I felt the car jerk forward and nearly dropped my handheld device, "Whoa!"

Securing my grip on my phone, I turned to Yamato, expecting some answer for his sudden brake.

"Sorry about that." He solemnly said, "The car in front of me was closer than I thought."

I looked ahead out the windshield and Yamato had a huge gap between his car and the car in front of us. **That's nowhere near close…**

"Wow! The produce here is so fresh!" I squealed in excitement. Yamato had taken us to a farmer's market in Odaiba that was opened on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He said that if there's ever a chance, he usually buys his ingredients at farmer market stands because of the quality. It wasn't packed, but pretty crowded. I shifted from one stand to another quickly, picking and purchasing just as fast.

"Meems." Yamato's voice called me, "Meems! MEEMS!"

I stopped in my tracks and I turned around seeing Yamato with his hands completely full with the bags of my purchases.

"Do you get like this each time you go to the market?" He asked, catching his breath.

"It's a habit of mine! But Yamato, how can I resist?! There so many ripe and tasty looking ingredients!" I exclaimed, and suddenly covered my mouth. **Oops. I shouldn't say his name too loud…**

I felt someone's hand pat my shoulder.

"If there's no press around, it should be fine," He reassured me, "Let's go. Do we need anything else?"

Walking alongside Yamato, I scrolled through my phone and the list of things we needed yesterday.

"We got the vegetables, the rice, and-," I started, before a message appeared on my phone, blocking the view of my list.

"And?" Yamato asked, peering downwards to my phone, "Another message from Tetsuya?"

I glanced over to Yamato, who wasn't looking towards me anymore.

" _ **How's Yamato today? :D" (T)**_

"Yamato, Tetsuya's asking how you're doing," I called out to my roommate. He stopped in his tracks as I caught up to him.

"Tell him that he's in charge of cleaning the studio this week," Yamato answered, "and also the next week and the week after next week."

" _ **Yamato said you're on studio cleaning duty for the next 3 weeks." (M)**_

Suddenly, my phone started ringing with Tetsuya on the caller ID.

" _ **WHAT!? I CLEANED THE STUDIO LAST WEEK!" (T)**_

" _ **Hi, Tetsuya, it's Mimi." (M)**_

" _ **Oh…Hi, Mimi~ Sorry about that, can I speak to Yamato please?" (T)**_

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"Tetsuya wants to speak to you," Mimi stated. She took one of the grocery bags I was carrying and replaced it with her phone. I could see that Tetsuya was on the line. It seemed like his presence was everywhere today. **Can this guy give me a break? Why is Mimi even talking to him?**

The more I thought about Tetsuya, the more frustrated I got.

"What happens if I don't want to speak to him?" I grumbled, staring at Mimi's phone.

Mimi reached for her phone before I suddenly heard Tetsuya speak up.

" _ **I don't mind speaking to Mimi the whole time you guys are together today, if you don't~" (T)**_

I clenched Mimi's phone and placed it against my ear.

" _ **That's it. You're on cleaning duty for 2 months." (Y)**_

" _ **HEY! What the hell! What did I do!?" (T)**_

" _ **Nothing, you just deserve it." (Y)**_

" _ **Oh, really? Are you sure it's not because you're irritated at me with Mimi? Are you jealous?" (T)**_

I was caught off guard by Tetsuya's question. **Jealous? Why would I be jealous?**

Slowing down my pace from Mimi's, I left enough room for me to talk to Tetsuya without her overhearing anything about it. She was busy looking around at the remainder farmer market stands as I found an empty spot to stand close by and watch her.

" _ **Why would I be jealous?" (Y)**_

" _ **Because we've been hitting it off since we've met and you've noticed. Don't deny it. Mimi told me yesterday you were in a mood." (T)**_

" _ **I was perfectly fine yesterday." (Y)**_

" _ **I've known you since middle school, Yamato." (T)**_

"…" _**(Y)**_

" _ **Anyways, be stubborn if you want, but you can rest assured, I think Mimi's adorable, but –" (T)**_

" _ **Look, I don't care, do whatever you want." (Y)**_

There was a pause. **Why is he all quiet?**

"… _ **Really?" (T)**_

His reply made me uneasy. My palms started to get sweaty and my heart started pounding. **Why am I getting nervous?**

"… _ **God, you can't be THIS slow." (T)**_

" _ **What?" (Y)**_

" _ **Nothing~ I got errands to do, so tell Mimi bye bye for now~" (T)**_

" _ **Tets-" (Y)**_

Too late. He hung up. I frowned, looking at Mimi's phone. **What is he even talking about?**

I continued staring at her phone, wondering what Tetsuya was trying to say.

"Hey Meems, your-," I looked up, holding out her phone. My eyes widened. Taking off my sunglasses, I searched the crowd but no sign of her.

"Mimi?" I shouted, "Mimi!"

I walked through the crowd, calling her name. **Where did she go?**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

I wandered around the farmer's market with the bag of groceries in hand. Yamato was standing in one spot, talking with Tetsuya. For some reason, every time we talked about Tetsuya, it always made Yamato's mood change. Was he that annoyed with Tetsuya? I know he's not the most punctual person, but he's outgoing and nice.

"Maybe because he's as loud as Taichi…" I laughed awkwardly, "That would definitely make sense."

I thought about the list that I managed to scroll through before Tetsuya called and I was sure we had gotten everything we needed.

At the corner of my eye, I spotted a cute accessory shop nearby. I saw it from before we even got into the farmer's market, but I resisted going in because we had to get our errands done first. **It wouldn't hurt to just shop a little bit right…?**

Curiosity killed the cat, and I found myself inside the tiny shop. It had all kinds of jewelry and accessories. They also sold stationary and plushes. Just about anything cute.

The lady at the register greeted me kindly as I walked in. She was wrapping up something for a customer. I looked through the aisles and saw cute phone charms. One that caught my eye was a small cactus in a pot with a flower on its head and a smiley face. **This reminds me of Palmon, how cute!**

I smiled to myself as I opened my small purse, searching for my phone before I realized my phone wasn't with me. **Oh crap, I left my phone with Yamato!**

"Shoot, he doesn't know where I am right now…" I mumbled to myself, "Maybe I should go back."

I turned around and proceeded towards the exit of the store, but something glistened in my peripheral vision.

I took a quick peek and I could see the lady at the register smiling. Looking at the glass case that she was leaning on, I saw an assortment of beautiful necklaces on display.

"Wow, these are so pretty!" I exclaimed, my eyes gleaming. I saw one of a butterfly and some others that had letters. They were made of either gold or silver material. Another was a heart with a pearl inside.

"A lot of our customers have been interested in this jewelry series! I'm glad they also caught your eye as well," She explained. She pulled out one from her display case that had a silver four-leaf clover along with small tag which was engraved with "luck."

I held it in my hand and watch it dangle and shine in my fingers. I didn't have many necklaces. I wanted to get one.

"Meems…" I heard someone say my name, I turned to the entrance and I saw Yamato, out of breath, "Y'know…"

I could tell he was slightly angry as he walked towards me. **Oh boy.**

"Sorry, Yamato! I was seriously going to go back to find you after I realized-" I started, but before I could finish, he tapped my phone right on my forehead, "Ow!"

"Next time you decide to wander off, please take your phone with you," He lectured, "You know, I was searching for you all over the farmer's market area, until someone told me they saw a girl with a dark pink hat go in here."

I placed the necklace back down on the glass desk and put my hands up, calming him down.

"Okay, Okay, I'll be sure to get my phone back from you next time, sorry, sorry," I apologized as he sighed tiredly.

"Yamato?" The lady at the desk asked, "The Yamato Ishida from the Teenage Wolves?"

We both froze.

I saw Yamato quickly grab for his sunglasses that were resting on the collar of his shirt.

"Oh my, don't worry, I won't make a big fuss," the lady giggled, "You're not on a date with this lovely girl, are you?"

We both looked at each other. **Yamato and I… dating?**

"You have the wrong idea! We're just friends!" I told her, waving my hands at her, "I can't possibly date this guy!"

"Yeah, we're just friends," He smiled at her. I sighed in relief.

"Sure, you are," She nodded, "Since you found your friend, would you like to pick a necklace for her?"

The lady held another necklace in her hands. This one had a feather design instead. All the ones I've seen her take out were really pretty.

"I was looking at these necklaces before you came along, I wanted to get one." I explained to Yamato as he stood beside me, placing his bag of groceries down.

"I don't know…" Yamato replied, staring at the ones on the table. He had a focused expression on his face.

"Maybe you'd like to customize your own necklace," The person pointed out, "We have a customization service here for jewelry."

My eyes lit up.

"I can make my own necklace design!?" I exclaimed as she nodded. **That's perfect, I'll just design something of my own!**

"Can I place an order for one right now?" I asked. Her cheery expression was replaced with sadness.

"Unfortunately, we're fully booked with customizations for the time being," She sighed.

"I see…" I looked down, depressed. **She got my hopes up…**

"When will you guys open up more spots for customization orders?" I heard Yamato interrupt us. Apparently, he shifted his attention from the necklaces to our conversation.

"I'm not sure about that, I'll have to ask my manager when she's in," She answered, "I know we won't be taking orders for the next month."

I kneeled down to grab my bag of groceries and smiled at the lady assisting us.

"Thanks for showing me these necklaces," I expressed my gratitude, "I think I'll wait until you open up your customization orders again."

"Oh, you're welcome," She said, "If you'd like, you can give me your phone number and I can let you know when we do."

"Really?!" I asked. She nodded. I hastily scribbled my number down on a paper and handed it to her, thanking her once again.

"Yamato, let's get going," I looked over to him. Walking out ahead, the crowd from the farmer's market diminished. It was a little past noon so everyone must have been done with their errands. It was a sunny day. I'm glad we were able to head out early. My stomach grumbled. **All that shopping made me hungry.**

I took a second glance at the shop I walked out of and I noticed Yamato leaving it with his sunglasses on and a content expression on his face.

"I thought you were right behind me!" I walked over to him.

"Hah, sorry," He apologized, "When I was about to leave-"

"Let me guess, she asked you for an autograph?" I sneered at him, "Aren't you just popular with ladies these days…"

He ruffled his hair in silence, "Anyways, we're done shopping for groceries right? Want to head back?"

My stomach grumbled again in response.

"Actually, I was getting kind of hungry," I laughed awkwardly, "Can we grab something to eat?"

"Sure," He agreed.

 **Kasumi's Point of View**

"What are the odds of this happening again?" I asked myself. **What are the odds of running into Yamato during the weekend?** I was checking out the farmer's market today because I heard from a friend that it was opened Wednesdays and Saturdays, but while I was looking around, I caught a certain blond roaming the crowds. **If he didn't start calling out Mimi's name, I doubt I would have even noticed him.**

I sighed. **Yamato went into that shop and he hasn't come out since, I wonder if he found Mimi…**

"For childhood friends, they sure do a lot of things together…," I pondered, "Maybe they are dating, but they're trying to keep it a secret from everybody." **That wouldn't make sense though, Mimi was adamant on them not dating at all and I don't think she's the type to lie especially since she thinks the whole situation is trivial.**

"I didn't bring my camera with me today," I sighed again, "Why am I following Yamato when I have nothing I can snap photos with?"

Suddenly, I noticed a girl with a dark pink hat and long chestnut brown hair in a ponytail come out of the shop, holding onto a paper bag of groceries. **Looks like he found Mimi after all. Now where is he?**

Not too long after, Yamato came out of the shop with sunglasses on. Mimi was pouting at him. She was bothered by something. After the two talked for a bit, they started walking and I followed closely after, making sure I wasn't seen.

They had returned to their car to leave their groceries behind. **Why are they both grocery shopping together? It's odd for two friends to just go out buying groceries…**

Maybe Mimi just had trouble holding onto everything since the farmer's market was big and she just asked Yamato on a whim to come help her. That makes sense.

Yamato closed the trunk of the car and the two started to walk back to the area they were previously at. The two ended up at a café and were sitting outside the elevated patio. I was trying to take photos of them with my camera phone, but I wasn't close enough to get good pictures.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered to myself, "If I can't get good photos, there is no point in being here." **Plus, Yamato has had his sunglasses on ever since he came out of that shop…**

I took a glimpse of my surroundings. It was a pretty busy area. There were lots of people. I wasn't sure if they even realized Yamato was close by. Maybe they did, but they're not fans. That's when I saw it.

I smirked at myself, leaving from my spot. I approached three photographers that were adjusting their lens.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice you three are photographers," I politely greeted them, "I'm also a photographer. Can you show me what you've been taking photos of around here?"

The three guys looked at each other surprisingly, but seemed happy I appreciated their work.

"Sure thing, miss," One of them replied, "I just took some pictures of the scenery here. Sometimes, my friend and I are able to sell our prints."

 **Wow, how convenient for me.**

He showed me his camera and he was right, everything was the scenery. The sky, the shops, the cars, the city.

I scrolled through his gallery and noticed a picture of the café that Mimi and Yamato were at.

"Wow, this café shot is really gorgeous," I complimented, looking at the direction of the café, "Wait a min-"

I squinted at Mimi and Yamato's direction. The three photographers followed my glance.

"No way." I stated, surprised. I could tell the three photographers were curious at what I was looking at.

"What's wrong? Did I miss an important shot?" The photographer asked.

"Isn't that Yamato Ishida from The Teenage Wolves?" I pointed.

"Who's that?" another one asked. **Oh please, one of you know who he is.**

"You're right, it is him, I've seen him on TV before," The photographer answered.

"He's starting to become really famous," I explained to the two, "Look, he's with a girl."

They looked again. Yamato and Mimi were talking about something, but they seemed to enjoy each other's company.

"They must be dating," I concluded, "Don't you two think getting photos of that will help you sell prints? I'm sure the tabloids would pay a good amount for those."

The three of them looked at each other. I watched them discuss amongst themselves about my idea.

"You have a point, young lady," They finally agreed, "Although…"

Skepticism was still expressed on their faces.

I frowned.

"Do you know how celebrities are? They do this so they can bring attention to themselves," I explained, "If you guys give him some spotlight, it'll just promote his fame! You're doing a good deed!"

They looked at each other again.

"Plus, you might become essential to whoever you sell these prints to! You guys might even get a good job opportunity, if you play your cards right," I added. **Com'n…**

The nodded to each other quietly and I smiled at myself, satisfied.

"A-Anyways, I just realized I'm running late, I'm going to miss my train if I stay here any longer!" I told them, bowing, "Your photographs are great! I hope I see them published in a magazine someday!"

They bid their goodbyes to me and I could see one photographer getting his camera ready as I was leaving.

 **Take that, Ishida.**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"Yummy, the strawberry tart is so delicious," I sighed happily, my cheeks rosy from the amazing taste. Yamato and I decided to stop by a café for lunch. I had ordered sandwiches while he ordered an Italian dish. I followed up with a dessert because when I came in, I saw so many people trying it, I had to try it myself. I made the right choice.

Yamato started laughing. I looked up at him. He had his hand resting on the side of his cheek and he was staring at me with a small smile on his face.

"What's so funny?" I frowned at him.

"You're always so cheerful," He answered, "Nothing ever seems to faze you."

We gazed at each other silently for a brief moment. I broke eye contact with him and crossed my arms.

"Of course!" I replied, "You got a problem with it?"

"I never said it was a bad thing," Yamato continued, "You've always been cheerful. I just haven't noticed how contagious it can get before."

For some reason, I couldn't look at him when he kept complimenting me. I've never been complimented by Yamato before. It really felt like something special because I hardly hear him saying these things to anybody. He was in such a mood yesterday and last night, it was hard to believe.

"Alright, let's get the check and head back home," I wiped my mouth with a napkin and proceeded to grab the attention of a waiter at the café.

"I got it, Meems," Yamato said, "I paid for it already."

Shocked, I almost hit my knee on the table, sitting up from my seat.

"What! We should split the check!" I exclaimed. He put his hand up to stop me.

"It's fine, you already paid for most of the groceries right?" He expressed his thought, "I could at least cover the lunch."

I relaxed in my chair. **Fair enough.**

Thanking him, I continued to enjoy my strawberry tart. Yamato sipped his coffee in silence, shifting his gaze over to the side, looking out at the crowds of people in the plaza, walking by. It was a nice day today and sitting out in the patio of the café made it feel even better. I'm sure Yamato and I both needed a day like this.

Suddenly, Yamato's facial expression changed. He swiftly looked back at me.

"Meems, we got to go now," He told me, grabbing his blazer off the chair. I started to turn my attention over to where he was looking, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me from my chair.

"Yamato?! What's going on?" I dropped my utensil onto the plate and managed to grab my purse as he dragged me with him.

"Don't look that direction, just follow me," He advised. I felt my walking pace quicken. He was rushing out of the café and it was hard to keep up with him. We got to the door and I kept asking him what was wrong, but he didn't answer me.

Growing impatient as we were walking out of the café, I pulled my hand away from his grasp.

He stopped in his tracks.

"Mimi! What are you doing?" He asked me, "I told you to follow me."

"Why did you suddenly pull me out of the restaurant like that?" I demanded an explanation. He was so abrupt and forceful, it startled me.

He sighed frustratedly, "Look, I-"

His attention left mine and it was set on something else. I turned to look behind me and I saw a guy with a camera around his neck. That's when I knew.

"Hi, you're Yamato Ishida, aren't you?" He greeted us, "I had some questions for you." My mind was swirling. **Did this guy already take photos of us?**

I pulled my hat down, trying to hide my face.

The photographer switched his glance onto me when Yamato gave him no response.

"Judging by your silence that must mean a 'Yes.'" He concluded, "And you are?"

He edged closer to me when I avoided looking at his face and responding to him.

Out of the blue, something covered my head, it suddenly got darker and I felt someone's arm around my shoulder, pushing me towards him.

"She's none of your business," Yamato declared. All of a sudden, Yamato's hand grabbed mine and I felt myself running.

"HEY!" I could hear the photographer's voice from a distance, "Guys, we have to get these pictures, com'n!"

 **This guy has friends?!**

"Yamato!" I shouted, "Where are we going?!"

"Just keep my blazer over your head," He told me, "They shouldn't be able to take any photos of you that way."

I tightened my grip on Yamato's black blazer that was hiding my identity as we both continued running. I could hear the scattered footsteps of the photographers running after us. **If they catch us, what's going to happen to Yamato?**

"There are 3 guys," Yamato explained, "The one talking to us, and two others that were in the distance. I noticed them when I was sitting at the café. Before they had a chance to take a photo, I was able to pull you away from their sight."

"Are they the press?" I asked, "Did they see us and follow us?"

"No I don't think so, I think they're just regular photographers that happened to spot us," He answered, "They probably think they can get good money off the photos they take."

I could hear the footsteps draw closer to us. **Why would they do such a thing? Intrude someone's privacy to make money? What happens if they were in our shoes? Would they like that?!**

I grew furious at these three photographers running after us.

I felt Yamato yank my hand, snapping myself out of my thoughts.

"Y-Yamato?!" I exclaimed, managing to keep the grip of his blazer and my hat over my head with his sudden action.

"Whatever you do, don't let go." He whispered, before he tightened his grip on my hand and ran with full speed. I looked in front of me and I could see that we were crossing the road on the yellow traffic light.

"H-HEY!" I heard one of the photographers shout.

I could hear less footsteps running after us. **Did we lose them?**

"These guys don't quit," Yamato complained, looking behind him, "One of them crossed the light even after we barely made it!"

 **We lost two, but there's still one after us?!**

I don't know if I could run any longer, my legs were getting tired.

"I'm going to run through that crowd up ahead," Yamato told me his plan. In front of us I saw a small crowd, it must be Yamato's last attempt at losing this last photographer. I nodded and braced myself for the crowd.

We made through rapidly, despite bumping into a few people and Yamato made a sharp turn into an alleyway. The passage was narrow and really dark. I could barely see anything in front of me. If we managed to get through here, we should be safe.

Unexpectedly, Yamato stopped in his tracks and let go of my hand, out of breath. I put my hand on my chest, trying to catch my breath. My heart was pounding hard.

"It's a dead end," He finally said, looking around.

"I swore they went this way…" I heard the photographers voice close by. Yamato quickly pushed me over to the wall behind a huge pile of boxes.

"Keep my blazer over your head," He reminded me. I was up against the wall, still breathing heavily. Yamato had his hand on the wall, giving me as much space as he could, but we were so close, I could feel the warmth of his body in front of me. He took off his sunglasses and peered to the direction of where the photographer was. The photographer was looking around and blocked the only way out of the alley.

We both tried to keep our heavy breathing to a minimum. He hasn't seen us in here yet.

Out of tiredness, I didn't realize one of my legs moved and stepped on something metallic, causing a loud crinkling noise. My eyes widened. **Oh no!**

"Who's there?!" I heard him shout. Panic started to engulf my mind. **If they find us, the whole run was for nothing, and the rumors will grab more attention since Matt ran away with me…What are we going to do?**

Yamato placed his finger at his lips, telling me to keep quiet. I could see that he was also struggling to find a solution to this situation.

I could hear the footsteps slowly come closer. I started to hear my rapid heartbeat in my ears. **It's over…**

Closing my eyes tightly, I was hoping this wasn't real. Did Yamato have to live like this the whole time he started his musical career?

I felt Yamato's blazer being gently lifted from my head and peeked out of my half-closed eyes, Yamato's face was inches away from my face. I could hear his steady breathing and I could see his azure blue eyes. Despite how dark it was, they were as bright and clear as today's beautiful sky. I couldn't help but blush.

"Y-Yamato, what are you-," I mumbled, trying to move but my back was already up against the wall.

His blue eyes directed their attention towards mine.

He leaned in close to my ear.

"Mimi, I'm sorry…" He whispered softly.

Before I could even question any more, he gently reached behind my neck and pulled me into a kiss.

 _GASPPP! That wraps up chapter 6! Wow, what a cliffhanger, am I right? Did you guys enjoy this chapter? I swear everytime I write a chapter, it keeps getting longer and longer. I'm trying not to write so much, but I have to include all the details and it ends up being that way. Btw, I thought the telephone conversations would be hard to understand so I put (T), (M), and (Y), to indicate who was talking at which line. I hope that helped. Anyways, what's going to happen next, I wonder! I missed Valentine's day by 3 days, but you guys can forgive me right? If you have any questions or comments, leave me a review! Heck, leave me a review about anything. I'd love to take a look at them. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned and see you in the next chapter! Hehe. – Chii (02/17/16)_


	7. Chapter 7: Awkward Touch

_Alrighty! Hello guys, how are you? The next awaited chapter of this fanfic is now here! I left you all with a pretty big cliffhanger. Due to Kasumi's meddling, Yamato and Mimi ended up in a mess where a trio of photographers are trying t snap shots of them to sell to tabloids for money. Trying to get away, they ended up in a dead-end alley. In amidst the stressful situation, things take an unexpected turn and Mimi ends up sharing a kiss with Yamato. What is going to happen next?_

 **Bold = person's thoughts**

 _Italics = author's notes_

 _ **Bold Italics = phonecalls**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

Chapter 7 Awkward Touch

 **Mimi's Point of View**

 **Y-Yamato…?**

My eyes widened as I felt Yamato's lips on mine. My mind left me, I was in such a state of confusion. All I could remember was his quiet apology that he whispered in my ear. I could faintly hear the voice of the photographer that followed us to the alleyway.

"Did you find them?!" A person's voice asked.

"I could have swore I-" The photographer explained, his feet crunching on some trash on the floor at the entrance of the alleyway.

Trying to figure out some answers, I lightly shoved Yamato from me, hoping to break the kiss we were sharing.

"Ah-," I broke away from his lips for a split second.

Feeling my retaliation, he quickly moved one of his hands from my face and pushed my arm against the wall, capturing my lips again before I was able to continue my sentence.

"Mm!" I moaned, his forceful actions had me pinned down. My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it resonate from my chest to my ears. I felt a sense of fear well up inside me. Yamato has never been so aggressive towards me. I couldn't fight back his actions and I felt powerless. I closed my eyes tightly, pounding his chest with my other free hand, trying to signal him to stop.

It was getting hard to breathe. **Y-Yamato!**

He finally parted from me and I gasped loudly, struggling to catch my breath. I could hear him doing the same, breathing heavily.

"N-Nevermind, I'm probably mistaken." The photographer stammered, "L-Let's leave this area, we're wasting our time here."

The 2 pair of footsteps scurried away from us and all I could hear left was the busyness of the crowd outside the alleyway and Yamato's breathlessness. I immediately felt my face grow insanely warm. **What just happened?**

"Meems…," Yamato called my name, startling me. I hesitantly looked up at him. As soon as I saw a small tinge of his blue eyes, I saw him lean in towards me. He still had his grip on my arm that was forced to the wall. I could feel my hand shaking. I was scared.

Closing my eyes tightly, I wished for Yamato's forceful actions to cease. Did he know that the photographers had left? **Please don't…**

I felt the grip on my arm loosen and that same hand, brush away the bangs from my forehead. He silently planted a kiss on my forehead. This kiss was such a contrast from just moments ago. His lips were soft and barely grazed my skin. The rapid heart rate that sprinted through my body had slowed down its pace.

Within a few seconds, he moved back from me, taking his black blazer off our heads. I could feel the cool air rush into the enclosed space we shared just minutes ago. Yamato had his back turned away from me. Walking out the alley, he looked back and forth.

I pushed myself off the wall I was leaning on, still questioning what just happened. I could feel Yamato's imprints at all the places he touched me. Each that had its own emotion attached to it. My head was spinning. I couldn't comprehend anything other than the fact that we managed to barely get away from the photographers.

"Mimi!" He say my name, jolting me out of my thoughts, "I think they're gone."

I walked out of the alley where I could finally see, squinting at the brightness of the sun. Yamato had his sunglasses on and his expression was as if nothing happened.

"Ah…that's good," I managed to reply.

"Com'n, we should head back home before they come back around here," He suggested. I quietly nodded and trailed behind him.

The whole ride home was silent. I could see Yamato trying to start up topics, but all I gave him were simple responses. I wanted to be upfront about what just happened in the alley, but I don't know why I couldn't say anything at the moment. I was convinced that my mind was in shock and it would take a while before I would be able to ask him about it. Sometimes, during the car ride, he would call my name, but stop short of what he was going to say. I didn't have the energy to ask him further about what he was trying to say. Today took a tiring turn.

Yamato unlocked the door to the apartment as we both carried our groceries in. He placed the bags onto the table, while I sorted them out in the fridge. We didn't exchange any words.

"Mimi," He started, "Mimi."

I continued to sort the groceries.

"Mimi!" He repeated loudly. I stiffened up and turned around to the sound of his voice.

"You were putting the vegetables in the freezer," He pointed out as I looked at the fridge. He was right, the freezer door was opened and I was placing all the veggies there.

"Oh, I didn't notice…" I answered. I started to pile all the vegetables in my arms in order to move them to the correct place.

"Here, I got it," He offered, reaching for the vegetables in my arms. I stared at his hand coming towards me. The same hand he used forcibly on me just hours ago.

I moved back, dodging him.

"Mimi? Here, I'll-" He continued, reaching towards me again.

"No! Don't touch me, Yamato!" I shouted, slapping his hand away, causing myself to drop everything I had in my arms. They hit the ground and scattered all over the floor.

Silence filled the air when I quickly realized what I did. I held my hands together, they were shaking again.

I hesitantly looked towards Yamato. At first, his expression was surprised, but it became solemn and he placed his hands in his pockets, looking to the side and towards the floor.

Turning around, I retreated to my room and slammed the door. I ran to my bed and buried my face in one of my pillows, closing my eyes tightly. **Why did he do that to me?**

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"Here, I got it," I offered, seeing Mimi collecting all the grocery items she placed in the freezer that were intended to be in the fridge into her arms. She continuously piled up the vegetable s in her arms without a second thought, it would be astonishing if she was able to hold them all by herself. I reached for her and she moved away from me.

Arching a brow, I tried to help her again.

"Mimi? Here, I'll-" I repeated, reaching for her again.

"No! Don't touch me, Yamato!" She yelled, slapping my hand away from her. I winced in surprise. I watched all the items in her arms hit the floor.

It was dead quiet in the room. All I could hear was the clock ticking on the wall. I set my attention on Mimi and she was holding her hands together in front of her, an uneasy expression written on her face. Her eyes looked at me in suspicion. It pierced my soul. I drew my hand back away from her, shoving both in my pockets, looking to the side and breaking our eye contact. Her footsteps stomped on the wooden floor as she left the kitchen.

She was quiet, and passive. She was like this ever since we left the plaza. I bit my lip. This was expected.

I looked towards the floor and started to pick up everything that fell out of her arms. My mind had been fixated on the incident both of us had shared hours ago. I could only think of that as the solution to get out of our problem. If the reporter had come any closer to where we were hiding, we would have been caught. Having him mistake us as a couple that wanted some privacy was the only way he would have left.

Placing everything in its designated spot in the fridge, I closed the door and put the bags away, washing my hands at the sink. **Was it really the right thing to do?**

Drying off my hands on the towel close to the sink, I gently placed the top of my hand on my lips. My mind replayed the memory in my head. **Her lips were soft, but they were also shaking.**

I clenched my other hand into a fist. **Her wrist was small.**

And then I remembered how hesitant she was to even meet my eyes after that kiss. **I knew she was afraid, that's why…**

Images of what happened right after the first kiss floated into my thoughts.

I could feel my ears getting warm.

"It's not like she'd figure out the difference…," I sighed.

 **That's just wishful thinking…**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

I sighed for the what-must-have-been the 30th time in my pillow. I tried sorting out my thoughts, but my head was a mess. I sent a text message to Sora, hoping she'd reply because I was in distress, but considering it was late, it wasn't likely.

I spaced out, staring into the darkness of my room, thinking about today. I touched my lips as I recalled Yamato's bold actions that caught me off guard over and over in my mind. The emotions I felt towards him during that moment were in a jumble. It was a mix of nervousness, worry and fear. My heart started to pick up its beating pace just thinking about it. And then I remembered what happened after the photographers left.

Yamato's actions afterwards were the root of my confusion. I moved my hands on my lips to my forehead. My heartbeat steadied itself.

"It was like two different people…," I whispered. I recollected how the intense grip he had on my wrist softened instantly and how gentle the kiss he placed on my forehead was.

My cheeks felt warm and I abruptly sat up in my bed. **Why am I getting flustered?**

"Mimi?" Yamato's muffled voice made me jump. He was knocking on my door a few times. I held onto my pillow out of reflex, watching the door to my room. He was standing on the opposite end of it.

"Are you still awake?" He asked, "I wanted to talk to you."

My heart was on a rollercoaster today. Just hearing Yamato's voice after the whole commotion made it panic.

I couldn't bring myself to form any words to reply to him. I could see his shadow block the light that was coming through the bottom of my door. He was pacing back and forth. Suddenly, his shadows stopped moving.

"She must be asleep already...," I could hear him mumble to himself, "If that's the case..." I slowly rested my head back onto my bed and pillow. **He's going back to his room now.**

I felt relief when Yamato stopped knocking on my door. I'm usually a confrontational person, but today had me so confused, the last thing I wanted to see before I went to sleep was his face. I could feel drowsiness settle on my eyelids. Everything from today started to retreat into the corners of my head.

"…Meems, I'm sorry I scared you," He apologized. I opened my eyes, sitting up from my bed again. His presence was still outside my door.

"I didn't mean to do that…I really didn't, it's just-," He muttered and suddenly paused.

"What the heck am I even doing…?" I could hear him groaning to himself.

Yamato's almost silent frustrations were being relayed across the door.

"Good night, Mimi, we'll talk tomorrow," His last words, barely audible followed his footsteps stepping away from my door.

"I look awful," I bluntly stated, staring at the mirror. My eyes had dark circles from tossing and turning for most of the night. I barely got any shuteye except close to the morning. Sora surprisingly replied last night and we decided to meet up today for lunch. Brushing my hair, I decided to dress simple. A white off the shoulder crop top coupled with knee-length, pastel blue denim jeans.

I adjusted my tote bag on my shoulder. **It's pretty quiet, is Yamato still asleep?**

I opened my door just a creak and looked across the hall. His door was closed. Walking out quietly, I shut my room's door and headed to the kitchen. No sign of Yamato. Opening the door of the fridge, I grabbed a bottle of juice and started gulping it down. My eyes suddenly spotted a paper on the dinner table.

"Going out early to do some errands, Won't be home until late – Yamato." I read out loud.

I placed the note back on the table. **Is he avoiding me now?**

Things were going to be awkward for a while.

My phone started to ring and I picked it up, hearing Sora's cheerful voice. She was letting me know she was on the way to the apartment to pick me up. After saying our goodbyes, I sat at the table, tapping the wooden surface, staring at the note.

"Maybe we should have talked yesterday…" I sighed, staring at Yamato's handwriting on the paper.

The doorbell rang after a few more minutes of waiting and I grabbed my bag, getting ready to head out.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"Well." Taichi replied simply. He crossed his arms on the table and stared at me. I couldn't read his expression. I could tell he was going through a series of emotions before deciding on one.

"I don't know what to tell you," He sighed, "Why did you even do that in the first place?"

I placed my face on my hands. Asking advice from Taichi was one of the hardest things because he was always half serious about it.

"I told you, it was to avoid the photographers!" I impatiently exclaimed. Taichi put his hands up and I relaxed in my chair, "Com'n Taichi, I need your advice. Give me something."

"Alright, alright, I'm thinking," He reassured me, scratching his head, "Have you explained to her why you exactly kissed her?"

"…No," I replied, "I didn't know how to bring it up…and yesterday when I was going to, she had already gone to sleep."

"The longer you let to go on, the harder it is for you to bring it up, you know that right?" Taichi asked. I nodded. He slung his arm off the chair and casually sipped his coffee.

"Maybe you can just call her, meet up, apologize and then move on," Taichi suggested, "You already kissed her, it's not like you can reverse time."

"You think she'll accept my apology?" I mumbled.

"No," Taichi answered, "Knowing Mimi, she'll get riled up that you kissed her without permission. She'll be like 'ISHIDA, YOU JERK! DON'T COME NEAR ME EVER AGAIN!'"

"Taichi, be serious!" I said loudly. My best friend laughed heartily. Despite how irritating this guy can be, his carefree attitude did make me feel better.

"Meems isn't going to hold it against you," Taichi continued, "It's not her nature. The most she'd do is bring it up as a joke."

"I hope you're right," I replied, looking at my friend.

"Besides, you only kissed her once right?" Taichi added, "If you did it multiple times, we might have a problem."

I turned red and looked at the side, covering my mouth.

"Yamato?" Taichi said.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"Oh." Sora replied after I told her everything that happened yesterday.

"Oh? Is that all? OH?!" I wondered, "Yamato kissed me!"

"It was out of the blue?" She asked calmly.

"Yes! He was really lucky that the photographers didn't see us, or we would be in trouble," I explained. I played with the straw swirling in my drink.

"Hmmm…" Sora thought out loud, "I'm sure he had a reason he kissed you."

"What could that be?" I inquired, not entirely convinced.

"Maybe he likes you?" She winked. I looked at my best friend dully.

"Sora, please be serious here," I brushed off her comment as she quietly giggled.

"Alright, the only thing I can think of is to throw off the photographers," She replied.

"Why would that-" I started before gasping, thinking about the incident and madly blushed. **If the photographers left because of us, then what exactly were they…hearing!?**

"Why would what?" Sora repeated, trying to get me to complete my reply.

"N-Nevermind." I diverted her response, "Anyways, I don't know how to bring it up to him. He wanted to talk yesterday but I pretended to be asleep so we wouldn't have to…"

The waiter came over and handed us our lunch bill.

"Just bring it up," Sora replied, "If Yamato wanted to talk about it yesterday, he should still want to talk about it today."

Sora and I placed some cash for the bill and stood up from the table.

"He's out today though, I don't know when he'll be back," I told her. She was staring at her phone as we were walking out the restaurant.

"Well, you'll see him eventually… you guys live together…," She replied. I frowned.

"Are you texting Taichi?!" I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips, "Com'n Sora, I need your full attention here!"

She quickly typed something to Taichi and locked her phone.

"Okay, sorry! How about we go shopping over there? You need something to get your mind off of things!" She lightly pushed me and onwards in the direction of the shops.

We window shopped through the first series of stores. I didn't have the motivation of walking in and shopping. My mind was still thinking about Yamato. **Was that why he apologized? Because he didn't want to do it, but he couldn't think of any way out? That would make sense but…**

My mind brought me back to the last kiss he gave me on my forehead. **That one felt…different.**

"Mimi!" I heard Sora call my name. I looked up and I saw her standing in front of a bench, waving me over. I treated Sora to icecream after our lunch. I sat down next to her. She was happily licking her cone while I scooped some icecream from my cup with the small spoon.

"Thanks for the ice cream, Mimi," She expressed her gratitude. I nodded and thanked her for spending time with me. We sat in each other's company for quite a while in silence until I decided to break it.

"Sora?" I asked, staring at my icecream, "What was your first kiss with Taichi like?"

"Hmm? That's a random question," She replied. I poked the small spoon into my icecream.

"It's more random how you're not flustered over me asking," I fired back, sneering at her. She placed her hand on her lap and stared at her ice cream cone.

"It wasn't anything special," She explained to me, "He just kissed me."

"Oh, com'n Sora, give me details!" I poked her arm repeatedly. A small smile formed across her face. I can see she was getting embarrassed.

"Well, I guess we were on a date at an amusement park and after that fun-filled day, he drove me home," Sora explained, "I was so surprised."

"Surprised he laid one on you?!" I grinned. My best friend chuckled lightly.

"No, I was surprised that he was so nervous," She answered, "He was really gentlemanly that day. Walking me to my door and just before leaving, asking for permission to kiss me."

Sora had a gleeful expression on her face as she looked towards the sky.

"I can still remember how he stumbled over his words and how fidgety he was, waiting for my response. He must have been stressed all day," She started laughing, "But when I said 'Yes,' I could have sworn he looked like the happiest boy in the world."

 **How sweet. Her experience sounds so different compared to mine and Yamato's…**

"So, under the moonlight, we shared our first kiss together," Sora concluded, "His kiss was simple and sweet, but expressed a lot."

"Expressed a lot?" I wondered. Sora tucked some of her loose hair behind her ear.

"I don't know how to explain it, but… I could feel from how he kissed me that he really cherished me. I felt protected by his kiss, as if it would never hurt me." She replied.

I gazed at my best friend for a few seconds before seeing her place her hand on her cheek, turning red.

"A-Anyways, it wasn't a big deal!" She stammered.

"AHH! SORA, your icecream is melting onto your fingers!" I shouted, seeing melting streaks on her hands that have now appeared on her face. She looked down and surely enough her icecream melting spilled over the cone and down her hand. She swiftly held her icecream away from her clothes and unzipped her bag to fish out some napkins and then she froze.

"What's wrong, Sora? I have napkins here," I reassured her, handing her some from my own bag.

"I just realized I forgot my wallet at the restaurant! Can you wait for me here?" She frantically asked me.

"Eh?! Ok, I can go with you-" I told her.

"No! It's a hassle, just stay here! I'll clean up and be back soon," She left the bench and started to hurriedly make her way back to the restaurant with her half-melted ice cream cone in her hand.

I watched her go and sighed, sitting on the bench that was in front of a fountain. I could feel the light mist from the water touch my face.

"I guess I'll just relax here until she comes back," I told myself, crossing my legs and finishing my icecream. My thoughts went back to the words that Sora told me about her kiss with Taichi. **A simple and sweet kiss that expressed more than words ever could…**

"That first kiss wasn't simple or sweet…," I muttered, "But…"

My mind rewinded the unforgettable one afterwards. I couldn't let that one go.

"God, that Taichi…he goes running to the restroom and then tells me to wait here, is he kidding?" I heard a familiar voice. I turned around and I found myself staring at the person I've been worried about since yesterday. **No way.**

He was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking around.

"Excuse me," He started. I jumped.

"Y-Yes…?" I barely answered. **I'm not ready for this!**

"Is this seat next to you taken?" He asked. I stood up quickly and turned towards Yamato, blushing.

"OF COURSE NOT, ALL YOURS!" I shouted, as I made a run for it, but I felt him grab my arm before I even got anywhere.

"Mimi?!" He asked. We made eye contact and I felt myself shriveling at his presence.

Yamato used his other hand and facepalmed.

"Taichi…" I could hear him grumbling.

"Those two planned this," I told Yamato, "Sora just made some excuse and ran off earlier."

"How would they-" Yamato questioned and we both knew the answer and grew flustered. Yamato let go of my arm.

"Sorry about that," He ruffled his hair, "I didn't mean to grab you."

"It's okay…" I murmured. We both sat down on the bench together. There was an awkward silence between us. **He's not saying anything…**

I peered at Yamato at the corner of my eye and I could see him leaning back on the bench, staring at the sky. I started to feel irritated. **He's already here and he won't say anything?! Fine, if he won't start it, I will!**

A lump formed in my throat. Easier thought out than done. I gathered up all my courage.

"You know, about yesterday…!" I exclaimed, hearing him say the same thing to me.

"O-Oh." He stumbled on his words, "You, go ahead."

"No, you can go first," I relayed his words back at him. We were both looking at each other.

He sighed tiredly.

"About yesterday…I'm sorry I did that to you," He apologized, "The kiss was to give the photographers a reason not to approach us. A bit ironic, but it was the only thing I could think of when we were both cornered during the time."

"If we weren't stuck, I wouldn't have done something like that. I know I scared you, but you don't have to worry, I won't do it again," He continued. I listened to Yamato's explanation and my heart started to calm down. His words were sincere.

"Ok, I believe you," I replied, "I was just really confused and shocked about the whole thing, so I'm sorry for slapping your hand."

He looked at the hand I slapped and his face lit up as if he just remembered it.

"You know, you smacked my hand pretty hard," He told me, "It was still red this morning."

My eyes widened.

"Really?!" I exclaimed, examining his hand, "Oh no! I didn't think-"

"I'm just kidding, Meems," He chuckled. I looked up at him and he had a smile back on his face. I punched his shoulder as he winced. My heart felt lighter. Things were finally back to normal between us.

And then I remembered one more thing from yesterday.

"Yamato?" I called his name. His chuckles came to a halt.

"What's up?" He asked.

"You said that the first kiss was to drive the photographers away," I said, "But the second one… The photographers already left."

 **This is the last thing I need to know.**

"What was your reason for kissing me the second time?" I finally asked. My heart picked up its pace again. **Maybe Sora was…**

"That kiss…" He softly mumbled, "I-"

 **Here it comes!**

"Aren't you, Yamato Ishida?" I heard a man's deep voice interrupt the both of us, "Is this your girlfriend?"

Yamato rapidly stood up in reflex and walked in front of me, preventing the stranger from coming any closer.

"…TAICHI." I heard Yamato utter his close friend's name. I peeked from behind Yamato and saw Taichi with a big grin on his face. I sweatdropped. **Get ready t run, Taichi.**

"Yama-" Taichi started, but Yamato grabbed the brown-haired boy's shirt collar.

"NOT FUNNY." Yamato continued, glaring at Taichi as he flinched, putting his hands up in defense.

"I tried to stop him…" Sora sighed, her fingers rubbing her temples.

Sora walked past the both of them and sat down on the bench next to me.

"Sorry about having to setting you up, but knowing you two, it might have taken another week to even bring it up," Sora said apologetically, "Are you guys okay now?"

I nodded, "We're good."

My best friend's face lit up and she smiled happily for me. Even though I would have preferred to settle this with Yamato without any of their meddling, I was grateful things were resolved.

My eyes turned to Yamato who was fuming his anger towards a scared Taichi. I thought about the forehead kiss he gave me one last time, before storing the incident away. **Well, I guess some questions are best left unanswered…**

Yamato and I spent the rest of the day hanging out with Taichi and Sora before heading home.

Flicking on the light switch to the apartment, Yamato hung his keys on the wall and walking into the kitchen. I took my time, taking off my shoes, following after him.

"You can wash up first," He pointed, "We had a long day."

I thanked him and headed towards my room to grab my things. I decided to take a bath just to give not just my brain, but my body a peace of mind after today.

Turning on the faucet, I let the water stream down my fingers and adjusted the warmth of the water until it was my liking.

Dipping my feet in first to test the water one last time, I slipped into the bath slowly before settling my arms on the edge of the tub, placing a towel on my head.

I sighed, feeling my muscle relax and closed my eyes. The steam felt refreshing on my face and in my pores. I could hear the splashing of the water as I slightly moved underneath it.

Suddenly, I could hear the sound of guitar coming from what I think was the living room. Yamato was tuning his guitar. I could hear him pluck the strings one by one. After a few more plucks, I could hear Yamato start playing a tune. Despite being a bassist, he was really good with the guitar as well. The tune was finally accompanied with his voice. I closed my eyes again and listened quietly to the song he was singing outside. **He has a nice voice…**

My phone which I had left within arm's reach of the tub rang a text notification and I opened my eyes, taking it in my hands.

"Oh, it's Sora," I spoke softly to myself. I clicked to open the message.

" _ **You know, I was thinking about something funny." (S)**_

" _ **?" (M)**_

" _ **It's funny how you were so troubled over Yamato kissing you when every girl in Japan probably dreams of it." (S)**_

" _ **It wasn't that bad, right? ;)" (S)**_

 _I almost dropped my phone into the water._

" _ **Hahaha, joke's over, Sora. This isn't funny!" (M)**_

" _ **I'm being honest right now! I dated Yamato for a few months back in middle school, we never kissed. It doesn't matter now but" (S)**_

" _ **WHAT?! YOU DATED HIM!?" (M)**_

" _ **I thought I told you. It was only 2 months and we decided we were better off as friends." (S)**_

" _ **DOES TAICHI KNOW ABOUT THIS!?" (M)**_

" _ **Yes, he does. I told him before I even asked Yamato out." (S)**_

" _ **Oh, Taichi must have been so hurt. You're horrible, Sora." (M)**_

" _ **Well, Yamato figured I was on the fence between him and Taichi. You'd be surprised at how much he notices things. That's why we decided to just be friends." (S)**_

" _ **You're super lucky, Taichi was hopelessly in love with you since we were kids. Took you long enough to realize who you liked. He was literally in front of your face the whole time." (M)**_

" _ **This is a story for another time, Meems. Now answer the question! And be honest." (S)**_

" _ **It was…okay." (M)**_

There was a halt to our quick messaging.

I stared at my phone for the longest time, waiting for Sora to answer.

"This girl is messing with me…" I sighed, putting my phone back into my bag which was on the floor of the bathroom. I pulled the drain in the tub and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around myself.

Wiping off the mist on the mirror, I got another small towel and dried my hair, eyeing my reflection.

I heard my phone's text notification and turned my head towards the direction.

"Ah, that must be S-" I started, before freezing up. A big spider was making its way down from the ceiling and it was right across my face.

"S-S-SPIDERR!" I screamed, turning towards the door and ripping it open before running out. I collided into something hard, when I blindly headed to my room and I felt a warm hand on my bare shoulder.

I looked up and saw Yamato just about to turn into his room, but our collision caused him to grab me before I fell backward from impact.

"Mim-" He started to question.

"YAMATO, KILL THAT SPIDER IN THE BATHROOM!" I shouted, pointing towards the misty room I came out of.

He let go of my shoulder and walked over to check the bathroom in confusion.

"It was right next to me, coming down from the ceiling!" I said, following him cautiously. I saw him looking around.

"I don't see it anywhere," He replied, "Are you sure it wasn't your imagination?"

"No! NO! Why would I imagine that?!" I asked, defensively. I gasped before my eyes trailed to my clothes and my opened bag on the floor.

"W-What happens if it went in my stuff!?" I exclaimed, anxiously, "Yamato! Check my stuff!"

He paused and stood there silently.

"Mimi…" He started. At the corner of my eye, I saw the spider on the floor as it darted towards me and the door and out of the bathroom.

"It's RIGHT HERE, YAMATO!" I shrieked, maneuvering myself away from it, "DO SOMETHING! IT'S HEADING TO MY ROOM!"

"Yamato! Why are you just standing here!? It's going to get away!" I pointed, glancing up towards his face. His face was flustered and I could see him clenching his fists. Our eyes met and he quickly averted his glance.

"Yamato?" I looked at him confused.

"I'll find that spider for you, but if you want me to do that…" He mumbled, "C-Could you please let go of my arm and get dressed first?"

That's when I noticed that I was latched onto Yamato's arm and still in my towel. I blushed and quickly let go, allowing him to finally leave. I saw him rapidly walk out of the bathroom, turning in the direction of where the spider made its getaway.

My attention left him and then I looked at the sight in front of me and now realized why Yamato was silent earlier. My undergarments and clothes were within plain sight near my bag.

"Oops…" I laughed awkwardly.

The spider met its demise shortly after my outburst. Sora and I weren't huge fans of bugs or spiders so if it was the two of us and that happened, I wouldn't know what we'd do. After some awkward eye contact, I managed to apologize to Yamato for the whole ordeal. He brushed it off and it didn't seem like he wanted to mention it ever again. As quiet as he was, I could tell earlier, his image was far from cool.

"and that's it," He concluded, placing his hand against the strings of the guitar, "What do you think?"

We were both sitting on the couch. Yamato had asked me to listen to the latest addition to his compositions. I opened my eyes and smiled.

"I like it," I told him, "Is this going to be the song your band will come back with?"

He shook his head, "This was just something I was working on for fun. I don't know if it'll end up in an album or anything."

"Oh? When am I going to get to hear the song you're going to use for your comeback?" I asked eagerly.

He placed a finger at his lips with a cunning smirk.

"It's a secret," He replied, before strumming his guitar again idly, "No one's going to hear it ahead of time."

I turned to look at him, "What?! Why so exclusive? At least let me hear it, I'm your roommate!"

"Sorry, no can do, it's confidential until D-day," He waved his hand with rejection in front of me. I balled my fists and shot a fiery gaze at him.

"Not fair! A highly anticipated song like that shouldn't be hidden away from me!" I expressed my thoughts, "I've waited so long to hear a real song by your group and I can't even have a snippet?! Whatever it is, I want to hear it because I know it'll be amazing!"

He stopped strumming his guitar and stared at me with a surprised expression on his face.

"What?" I asked.

Clearing his throat, he placed his guitar to the side, "I-I'm going to shower."

I watched him stand up from his spot on the couch and hastily make his way to the hallway, my eyes followed him until he disappeared. The way he walked out just now reminded me of how he left the bathroom after the spider. My mind revisited his flustered expression from earlier and I couldn't help but choke on a laugh. I've never seen Yamato that red before. He was frozen stiff and awkward like he didn't even know how to handle the whole situation. His shy side was actually kind of endearing.

 **I'll be sure to tease him about that later…**

I got up from the couch and walked towards the balcony, sliding the door open. The breeze was a bit chilly but refreshing. I gazed at the bright moon that shined in the night.

"How pretty," I admired, placing my hands together around my back. It's only been a month since we've lived together, but so much has happened.

"Maybe being friends with Yamato just attracts all this drama," I sighed, "And here I thought I'd be living a normal life back in Japan."

Suddenly, A loud crash was heard inside the apartment.

"MIMI!" Yamato's voice blared.

"NEXT TIME DRAIN ALL THE SOAPY WATER WHEN YOU TAKE A BATH!" Another announcement from him followed shortly.

I rubbed my temples, "Things are never quiet around here, are they?"

 _Not much of a cliffhanger but there ends the chapter! I'm gonna be honest with my readers, but I apologize for the delay in the release of this chapter. I kind of lost a bunch of momentum when writing and editing this chapter. The other chapters were much easier to write, but for some reason, this one was givng me a hard time. I can say this is the best I was able to do and I am somewhat satisfied with it (after a million times editing this thing). I hope you guys enjoyed reading it and please leave a review if you'd like. Anyways, it'll just get more exciting from here. Thanks for reading guys and I'll see you in the next chapter. (: -Chii (4/9/16)_


	8. Chapter 8: Unconscious Feelings

_Alas, the next chapter is here! Did you wait long? (I'm writing this as I write this chapter, so the answer will probably be yes) Anyways, just to recap, Mimi and Yamato had an awkward couple of days after what had happened when they were out together in public. They managed to resolve the conflict smoothly with the help of their friends, Taichi and Sora. Now what's in store for them next?_

 _Italics – Author's notes_

 **Bold – Character's thoughts**

Chapter 8 Unconscious Feelings

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, 'nuff said.

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"You're still awake?" Yamato's voice chimed from the hallway. I was sitting on the floor with my arms resting on the coffee table, staring at a huge piece of paper laid out on top of it.

I looked up and saw him leaning on the wall, watching me before his eyes trailed to the clock.

"Oh yeah… I'm sort of stuck on my project," I sighed, tapping my pencil on the paper.

It was the first week of October and midterms were creeping up. Everyone usually studies for exams, but my major consisted of a portfolio project. Along with exams. I decided to try to get my studying and sketches started early because the midterm portfolio review was due at the end of the month, but it was easier thought out than done. My mind had hit an artist's block and for the concepts I was assigned, I couldn't do bring myself to sketch anything. If this goes on, I'm going to fail.

I could hear Yamato's footsteps creak on the hardwood floor and into the kitchen. He grabbed a water bottle and sat down on the sofa.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked.

"Well, I have 3 concepts to draw sketches for in total: Seasonal, Color, and Persona," I explained, "I got "Summer" for seasonal, "Blue" for color, and "Lively" for Persona."

"Are they all separate concepts or can you merge them together?" Yamato continued with his questions.

"The professor told us to be creative," I answered, "That leaves a whole bunch of room to work with, but I can't seem to get the right image in mind. When I think blue, I think winter and I got Summer as my season."

I placed my pencil on the blank poster board paper, defeated.

"When is this due?" He asked.

"…End of the month," I sighed, collapsing my head into my arms, "I should have started earlier."

"That's when my short composition is due for my music class," Yamato replied, "Guess we're both on the same boat."

My head shot up in retaliation, "No, we're not! You already compose short compositions regularly so you'll probably ace it."

"Hah, not when you have to compose under a theme," He choked back a laugh, "If it's not The Teenage Wolves's musical sound, it is difficult."

I eyed him as he opened his water bottle and casually put it towards his lips.

"Well, this week flew by," I brought the subject back on myself, "My birthday is on the 6th. I still have to plan something for my birthday with you guys."

Suddenly, I heard Yamato cough loudly and pounding his chest, placing the water bottle he had in his hand on the table and wiping his mouth.

"What?" I asked, as I watched him recover from choking before a small smile crept on my lips, "Don't tell me you forgot about my birthday?"

"Does it look like… I'm the type… to forget.. a friend's birthday?" He replied in between coughs, "Of course I remembered."

I didn't believe him for a second. He most definitely forgot. Something felt off inside me, but I decided to ignore it and amuse myself instead.

"Oh, good then! That means you have my present all picked out and everything," I continued to push Yamato's buttons, "I can't wait to see what you have in store for me!"

He looked at me dully, his face pale from coughing.

"I'm serious, Yamato! I have high expectations and you better not disappoint!" I beamed.

Capping the bottle of water, he stood up from the sofa. **Has he given in?**

Turning back to look at me, "Trust me."

"You'll definitely be surprised," He winked.

My heart skipped a beat and for a second, I couldn't reply. Yamato got up from the couch and walked back to his room, water bottle and all.

I returned my glance to my paper in silence.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

I winked at her with my promise. I grabbed my water bottle and decided to head inside without another word. After living for quite some time with Mimi, I knew that she loved playing games, but she doesn't know that she wasn't the only one good at it.

Closing my door, I left my cool exterior on the other side and quickly slid down to the floor.

"HOW COULD I FORGET!?" I asked myself, before glancing at the calendar on my wall.

October 6th. It was marked and circled in red. I didn't forget really, I knew it was coming up, but with all I've been up to, I couldn't find the time to properly go searching for her gift.

"It's soon," I sighed. I had a busy week ahead of me. Every slot was full of things I had to do. **How am I going to be able to find time to go find her something?**

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," I whispered to myself and dialed Taichi's number. I could hear his phone ring… and ring … and ring… and ring.

"Hey!" Taichi's voice finally buzzed in my ears.

"Tai-" I started.

"You reached Mr. Taichi's phone, please leave a message if you ever plan on getting a call back from him. He's probably off playing soccer, chilling with friends, or his awesome girlfriend, or something that's more important than you. Thanks for calling."

I dully stared at my phone. **Seriously, Taichi?!**

"What about Takeru!?" I started to go down the list of people I thought could help me out. No answer from him either. **Next is Sora!**

I was sitting on the floor, praying that she would be the one to pick up her phone.

After 3 rings, I was greeted by her voice.

" _ **Hello?" (S)**_

" _ **SORA!" (Y)**_

" _ **Hey Yamato, what's up? You sound a bit-" (S)**_

" _ **I NEED YOUR HELP. It's about Mimi." (Y)**_

" _ **Did you guys fight again? You can't expect Taichi and-" (S)**_

" _ **No, we didn''t fight …but we might end up in a fight if you don't help me. (Y)**_

" _ **How can I be of assistance then, Mr. Yamato?" (S)**_

" _ **Mimi's birthday is next week and I haven't gotten her anything. You need to come with me and get a gift now. Ditch your boyfriend if you have to." (Y)**_

I could hear Sora laughing on the line.

" _ **Speaking of which, Taichi is with me right now. Want to say hi?" (S)**_

" _ **The last thing I need right now is to talk to him, believe me." (Y)**_

" _ **Sorry, Yamato, I would help you but Taichi and I spent all day today shopping for her gift." (S)**_

I was crestfallen. I thought Sora would be the person to save me during this predicament but even she had planned better for Mimi than I did. I sighed heavily. She told me that if I needed help figuring out what to get Mimi, she'd be more than happy to help. I thanked her and bid her goodnight.

I ran through a few more people's numbers. Koushiro and Hikari had also prepared gifts for Mimi already and Joe wasn't replying to my texts. I was out of options.

Placing my phone down, I looked up towards the calendar again before standing and walking towards it.

"I can probably squeeze time in between my practices to just search in areas nearby." I whispered to myself. **I still have time.**

The next two days, we both took separate cars and if I ever saw Mimi, it was because I had to run back to the apartment real quick to grab my guitar and leave as soon as I returned. I was able to hang out with Tetsuya, Shinn and Hiroto after practice and they helped me look around for a gift for Mimi.

"Nothing we saw today was good enough for Mimi-chan?" Shinn asked me, sipping his coffee. It was the evening and I only have a little over a week left. Ruffling my hair, I rested my head in my arms afterwards, depressed and frustrated.

"I can't find anything for her." I told my bandmates, "I'm so uncool."

"Well, after making a promise like that, you are pretty uncool," Hiroto agreed as a non-existent arrow pierced me right where my pride was.

"You guys can at least try to console me," I mumbled through my sleeves.

"Oh, you'll be fine, Yamato," Tetsuya pat my shoulder, "Mimi's probably gotten to the point with you where she wouldn't even care if you disappointed her."

Another arrow stabbed me. I clenched my fist and grabbed Tetsuya's shirt collar.

"TET…SU…YA…" my voice became threatening. My mind was close off the edge because I have been so busy and stressed.

"H-HEY!" He put his hands up in defense, "I was just just j-joking! How come you didn't get this mad at Hiroto?!"

I clenched his shirt collar even tighter.

"Shinn! Help me," Tetsuya whined, trying to shake off my grip on him.

I could hear Shinn stand up from his chair, moving closer to us from across the table.

"Now, Yamato, this doesn't have to end violently…" Shinn continued. I shot a glare at him and he froze in his spot and then I saw her.

I loosened my grip on Tetsuya's shirt collar and he fell back in his chair.

"Y-Yamato?" He asked, confused, "What are you looking-"

I darted from my seat and out the coffeeshop we were all at. **Maybe she's the one that can...!**

Running to catch up with her, I instinctively grabbed her arm.

"H-HEY! What gives?!" her sharp voice snapped as she turned around. And that's when I regretted my decision to chase her down.

"Ishida…?" She arched a brow in surprise.

"Mashiro," I answered. She pulled her arm away from my grip.

"What business do you have with me?" She asked, crossing her arms. **This girl…**

I felt irritation fester inside me. I had so much problems getting along with Kasumi and I didn't understand why. Everytime I try talking to her, it always ends up bad. I've seen Mimi hang out with her more often these past few weeks and if she was the key to finding Mimi's gift, I'm willing to do anything to get along with her.

"I-I just wanted to say hi," I nervously laughed, scratching my head. She glared at me in response.

"Well, you really didn't have to," She replied, "My day would have been a lot better without you."

I bit my lip. **Keep calm, Yamato. For Mimi…**

"So what were you up to before you ruined my day?" She asked before peering behind me, "Mimi's not with you today?"

I sighed.

"No, not today, I'm with my band," I explained, "I just saw you walk by and wanted to say hi."

"Did you two get into a fight again?" She asked. My mind began to trail off with thoughts. If I don't get anything for Mimi, she's going to be really disappointed. I won't be able to hear the end of it.

"Earth to Yamato," Kasumi's voice brought me back, "It must have been pretty bad if you look this pitiful to me."

"We didn't fight, "I told her, "It's Mimi's birthday soon and I just haven't found a gift for her. I was wondering if you could …help me out."

"I can't hear you, say that again?" She asked me to repeat the request I had to swallow a lot down for.

"I need you to help me find Mimi's gift!" I shouted, irritatedly. Silence filled between us after my outburst. **Crap, she's not going to help me after that…**

I pushed my hair back, "Sorry…I've just been frustrated lately. Please.. help me out."

I could see Kasumi thinking deeply.

"Alright, I'll help you," She finally answered. My eyes lit up.

"The truth is that she never told me her birthday was," Kasumi continued, "I guess we can both go look for something for her together."

I smiled in relief.

"You're really helping me out here Mashiro," I expressed my gratitude, "Th-"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm doing this for Mimi, not you," She rejected, "I'm busy tomorrow, so how about the day after?"

I placed my hand on my chin in thought. **I have practice and recording that day…**

"If you're busy, I can't help you," She added, "My schedule is booked because I have work and then classes during the week."

"Okay, okay, deal!" I abruptly agreed, "Thanks a lot, Mashiro!"

She put one of her earbuds back into her ear, nodding, before turning her back on me. I watched her leave when my mind reminded me of something very important.

"KASUMI, WAIT!" I yelled, catching up with her one more time. I pulled my phone out and asked her for her number. It would be impossible for us to meet if I couldn't contact her. She seemed hesitant at first, but gave it to me quickly before we bid each other goodbye.

I sighed in relief and made myself a mental note to put Kasumi in my plans this week.

"Hmm…" I heard familiar voices behind me. I turned to see Shinn, Tetsuya and Hiroto staring at me with judgmental looks on their inquiring faces. **I never catch a break, do I?**

"I'm back…" I announced, closing the apartment door behind me. Kicking off my shoes, I massaged my shoulders as I walked inside towards the living room. The noises of the TV were audible and I saw Mimi eating fruit on the couch, her eyes fixated on the screen.

"Welcome back…" She murmured, not even turning her attention towards me. Her papers were scattered on the table and it didn't take me long to realize she had given up on her project for the night and decided to reward herself instead. I watched her place a strawberry slowly in her mouth, still immersed in whatever was on TV.

"I'm back!" I repeated, this time, blocking her view. She shifted her attention onto me, an annoyed look on her face.

"I heard the first time, what are you doing!?" She angrily pouted, placing the bowl of fruits on the side of the couch. She stood up from the couch and placed her hands on her hips, staring right at my face, proceeding to get an explanation out of why I was blocking her view.

I closed one of my eyes and moved out of the way, "I'm going to shower."

"Yeah, go shower so I can watch my show in peace," She shooed, relaxing back on the couch. Without much thought, I walked towards her and roughly ruffled her hair into a mess before rushing inside as I could hear her shout after me.

"Alright…" I exhaled, walking into my room after my shower. Drying my hair with a small towel, I looked over to my backpack on the floor with some papers spilling out of it and then glanced to the clock. It was too late and I didn't have much motivation to try writing anything. I instinctively checked my phone on my desk and saw a message from my manager.

"An interview with Teenage Wolves?" I mumbled, "It's really going to happen soon."

Grabbing a pen, I wrote down the time and date of the interview session my manager just messaged me about. Balancing my band and school schedule was going to be really hard the next few weeks. It didn't help that midterms were just around the corner. I rubbed my temples.

Mimi's birthday was in 9 days and in 2 days, I'll be meeting up with Kasumi to shop for her gift. I thought quietly to myself, writing Kasumi's name and circling the date on my calendar. Just when I was about to toss my phone aside, it vibrated in my hand. **Speak of the devil…**

"Hey Mashiro," I greeted on the phone, "That's a surprise that you called me first."

Her sharp remarks attacked my ear.

"Okay, okay, don't block me," I surrendered at her threats, "You wanted to know where and what time for the day we meet up?"

I thought deeply about what location nearby to go find Mimi's gift next. Searching for an answer on my messy paper filled desk, my eyes widened.

"I know just the place!" I almost shouted in the phone, "Oops, sorry about that. Yeah, I think I know where we can go."

 **Mimi's Point of View**

Yamato never came back into the living room after his shower. I continued watching the television and eating my fruit, but my eyes kept wanderng towards the hallway. **Why am I getting distracted by nothing?**

I got my wish, he left me alone so I could watch my show in peace. However, I was feeling restless. I laid my head on the pillow at the side of the couch, staring into the bright screen of the tv, but drowning out all the noise that came from it. Maybe it's because we haven't really talked in a while. I knew Yamato's schedule was packed because I would barely see him and if I did, he would just give me a quick greeting and then rush off to work on his assignments in his room or dash out of the apartment for band practice. I hate to admit it, but it was empty in the apartment without him.

I placed my hand in the bowl of fruits I had laying next to me and noticed I had eaten everything.

"I wonder if Yamato is hungry…" I whispered to myself. I sat up and turned off the TV before heading into the kitchen.

"This should be enough for him to feel less tired," I smiled to myself, holding the plate of cut apples and peeled oranges. I made my way over to his room, ready to knock on his door.

"Yama-" I started.

" _ **I know just the place!" I heard Yamato's voice suddenly , "Oops, sorry about that. Yeah, I think I know where we can go."**_

"Oh… Yamato's on the phone," I asked myself quietly.

" _ **Yeah, is a little later in the afternoon good? What?! Bright and early?" He exclaimed, "OK, Ok. Fine, before noon. Yes, I won't be late. YEAH, I WON'T. What kind of guy do you take me for?"**_

"Maybe this conversation is going to take a while…," I mumbled, still idly standing in front of Yamato's door with the plate of fruit in my hands, "He's probably talking to his bandmates about practice."

" _ **Cool. I'll meet you there. Alright, talk to you later. Night, Mashiro."**_

"Mashiro…?" I asked surprised. **Yamato was talking to Kasumi?**

Their conversation rewound in my head. **He's going to meet with her?**

Suddenly, Yamato's door burst open and I looked up to see my blond-haired blue-eyed roommate.

"Mimi!" He exclaimed, startled enough to move backwards, "If you were outside my door, you could have said so."

I quickly formed a smile across my lips.

"Oh, I just heard some talking in your room, so I didn't want to intrude," I replied.

"T-Talking!?" He stammered. Yamato's expression changed and I looked at him strangely.

"Yeah…" I continued, "It was pretty loud."

"Uh…yeah, you know, whenever I plan band practice with the guys, I gotta be stern with them or they'll slack off on me," He explained.

"I see." I simply said.

"Are those for me?" He changed the subject and pointed at the fruit on the plate I was holding. I almost forgot I had them.

I found myself forcing another smile on my lips.

"Yeah, I thought since you've been so busy, you must be tired, so these would help you feel more energized," I told him and handed him the healthy snacks.

"And here I thought, you could care less about me after seeing how much you wanted me out of your way earlier." He chuckled. I was immediately struck with annoyance.

"What are you saying?!" I snapped at him. His chuckles grew quieter.

"Of course I'd care!" I yelled, "You've been so busy! You're always out and you don't bother to even tell me where you are!"

"Mimi, I was just joking…" He looked at me confused. I froze.

"Oh…were you…?" I paused. Yamato munched on an apple slice, watching my actions.

"WELL OF COURSE YOU WERE! Silly me, I must be tired," I exclaimed, startling him as I laughed awkwardly, "Anyways, get some rest, Yamato, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I abruptly turned around and ran into my room, slamming the door.

 **Why did I suddenly say that?**

Quickly recalling what just happened, it didn't change the fact that Yamato was hiding his conversation with Kasumi from me. When did they start getting along? How did they get each other's numbers? Why were they suddenly hanging out? **…Are they…dating…?**

For a moment, my heart felt hollow. **What am I thinking?**

I raised my arms over my head with vigor.

"I'm going to bed!" I exclaimed.

I forced all those lingering thoughts out of my head and called it a night.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"Today's the day," I adjusted the beanie over my hair and pushed the glasses up my face. I woke up earlier than usual and got ready. I was meeting Kasumi today and I made sure that my identity was sealed. Confidence radiated out of me. I had an idea of what to get Mimi, if things go as planned, she should be happy with what I have in stored for her. My phone vibrated on my bed and I checked my messages. Kasumi said she was just about to get going. I quickly grabbed my keys and left my room.

"You're up early," I flinched, seeing Mimi come out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel.

"Y-Yeah," I answered, "It's been a long week… I need to a breath of fresh air."

"Oh, I need that too!" Mimi clapped her hands together, "Wait, let's go together!" She hurriedly started to make her way to her room.

"WHOAH! No!" I refused, "You can't go!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at me. **Oh crap.**

She arched her brow.

"Why not?" She asked, "Where are you going?"

"Uh…," I shifted my eyes away from hers, "I-"

"Don't tell me you have a date?" A sly smile formed on her lips, "Who's the lucky girl, Ishida?"

I could feel my face get warm as Kasumi popped in my head.

"Do you think I have time for a date?" I asked her, crossing my arms,"I'm just going for a jog and then heading to practice."

"You're not hiding anything from me, are you?" She interrogated. At this point, I managed to calm my nerves and was able to face her head-on.

"Mimi, what are you? My girlfriend?" I pointed out, "I'm going to practice. I'll see you tonight."

She squinted at me as I felt myself sweating.

She shrugged and started to dry her hair again, "As if, you wish you were my boyfriend, Yamato. Fine then, go on your jog and your practice. I don't care, I can get my breath of fresh air, by myself."

An aura of dejection was around her as she shut the door to her room.

I exhaled in relief. **This girl is too analytical.**

"You're late." Kasumi's stern voice greeted me as I ran over to her.

"Sorry, I ran into… some obstacles…" I panted, catching my breath as I rested my hands on my knees.

"Whatever, let's go," She started to walk ahead as I began to follow her. This was the same plaza Mimi and I went to a few weeks ago. The farmer's market was smaller than it was that day, but it was still bustling. I adjusted my beanie again.

"At first I didn't recognize you," I heard Kasumi speak up. I quickened my pace to match hers.

"Yeah, last time I was around here, I ran into some trouble," I explained, "So, I'm just taking my precautions."

"Hmm…" She nodded slowly, "So how come you wanted to come here today?"

"I haven't browsed this area enough last time I was here," I answered, "It's the only place I haven't taken a look for Mimi's gift."

"I also think I have an idea of what to get her," I continued, "I just need to find out where the shop was. Have you thought of what to get her yet, Mashiro?"

She placed her hand under her chin, as she thought.

"Not a clue." She replied, "I've only known Mimi for hardly over a month, I'm not sure what she likes."

"You're telling me, I've only known her for my whole life, and I can't seem to find something she'll like," I laughed, "Maybe you can get her something she'll wear."

"Well, while you figure out where that shop you want to go to is, help me find a gift for her," Kasumi mumbled before walking ahead of me and into a store to our left as I trail in after her. **She really just does her own thing…**

I walked in to see that Kasumi had chosen a small clothing shop with a ton of different clothes for girls. Everywhere you look, there would be clothes. Clothes hanging on the walls, racks, clothes everywhere. It was crowded and there were not set sections or aisles. **How do girls shop like this?**

"Ishida!" I heard Kasumi whisper, signaling me to come over. My heart dropped as I glanced around. To my relief, my last name didn't catch anyone's attention. That was a good sign.

"You think she'll like this?" She took out slippers and a pre-wrapped pajama set, "It looks comfortable."

"Ah, no…I think her sleepwear is already nice…" I muttered.

"What?" Kasumi asked looking at me strangely. I flinched.

"N-Nothing, gosh, are you hearing things? It's okay, but is there anything else?" I changed the subject and my eyes wandered around the racks and walls.

"Does Mimi like anything in particular? You have to know at least something that could give me a lead," Kasumi searched through the racks.

"This?" She asked me and pushed a flower print crop top at me.

"I think Mimi has enough clothes…" I shook my head, "She's pretty fashionable."

Kasumi sighed heavily and continued looking around. We both knew this wasn't going to be easy. I let her browse as I walked to an empty side of the store and looked out the window. I just couldn't recall the location of the store. I was so fixated on finding her that day, I don't even remember what it looked like from the front.

"Com'n Ishida, I can't find anything here," Kasumi interrupted my thoughts and walked out of the store.

We stopped by a few more stores around the area, but we couldn't find anything that we both thought would be a good gift for Mimi.

"Okay, this is harder than I thought," Kasumi admitted. We were both back on the main street walking within the crowd, "You still can't remember where the store was?"

I shook my head. I couldn't pinpoint its location.

My attention went to Kasumi and I could see her in deep thought. She was really trying hard to find a good gift for Mimi.

Suddenly, her head turned and I followed her glance to a crepe ice cream stand we were nearing.

 **Kasumi's Point of View**

Finding Mimi a birthday gift was harder than I thought. I spent a lot of time, browsing stores with Yamato, but no luck. He still couldn't remember where the store he wanted to go to was. **How could a musician have such bad memory?**

Every item I showed Yamato wasn't good enough for Mimi. I was actually surprised at how much effort he was putting into finding her the perfect gift.

My thoughts left me when my eyes stumbled upon a ice cream crepe stand close by. I could hear my tummy grumble softly in response. Icecream crepes were my favorite dessert and just seeing a stand for it, I resisted the urge to go over there and buy one.

"Mashiro!" I felt someone grab my shoulder and I snapped out of my thoughts. I turned to see Yamato grinning.

"W-What?" I shrugged off his touch and placed some distance between us.

"The shop, it's over there!" He pointed. My eyes followed and I vaguely remembered. This was the shop I saw him and Mimi go into.

Yamato opened the door and walked in quickly, almost immediately going straight to the cashier. **He's in such a hurry…**

"It's nice to see you again!" The cashier greeted Yamato. I walked over beside him and the cashier noticed my presence.

"Oh? Are you with another girl this time?" She asked, "So this one is your girlfriend?"

I unexpectedly blushed.

"N-Nope. I refuse to date such a person." I put my hands up, rejecting her theory, "I'm just an acquaintance helping him look for a gift for his friend."

Yamato laughed awkwardly, "A tad blunt, but true. She's a friend helping me out."

"Mashiro, did you want to look around the shop? I might take a while," Yamato asked. I crossed my arms and proceeded to browse the store. It had a lot of accessories, mostly jewelry. I could also see some hats and bags, here and there. Despite walking around the store, I kept my eye on Yamato. I hated to admit it, but I was curious to see what he was up to.

At the corner of my eye, I could see Yamato pull out a card and hand it to the cashier before telling her what he was hoping she could do for him. She smiled at him and nodded as I could hear his voice heighten in mood as he responded. She carefully pulled out a clean sheet of paper and handed him a pencil. The two of them grew quiet and I noticed that the cashier started to sort out some inventory. It seemed like what they were talking about was over. My attention fell on Yamato who was now sitting on a chair at the counter, writing something down with his pencil and paper. He looked completely focused.

"Miss, did you need help finding anything?" The cashier asked, startling me. I could see her kind smile, waiting for my response. I quickly scanned the rack in front of me and shook my head in response, thanking her. She nodded and went about her business, sorting the inventory. I made my way back to Yamato and he was still scribbling on the paper.

"Hmm…" I thought out loud, watching him.

"Whoah, Mashiro, you're done looking around?" He asked, surprised. **Wow, talk about being spaced out.**

"What are you drawing?" I curiously inquired as he covered part of the paper with his arm, "Worried I might tell Mimi?"

He moved his arm away and I noticed a circular symbol with two waves at each side. **What is that?**

My eyes made its way to where his pencil was at and I noticed another symbol, but this time it was in a shape of a teardrop. He was outlining the symbol one last time before setting the pencil down.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Well…" He started, scratching his head.

"Are you finished?" The clerk interrupted us. Yamato passed the paper over to the cashier and she looked at what he had drawn.

"You wanted to use this?" She asked, "My, it's such a cute design. Is there a special meaning?"

I listened to the both of them. **Special meaning? Is there a meaning for those two symbols?**

"Yeah, you can say that," He simply replied.

"Both of them right?" She continued, jotting some notes on the same piece of paper.

"A-Ah, not that one there, j-just this," He stumbled over his words, pointing to the teardrop.

"But it's a pai-" The cashier continued.

"It's fine! Just make 2 of those instead," Yamato requested.

The cashier giggled, "Okay, then." She calculated the total and I saw Yamato swipe his card.

"Thank you for contacting me before you came in," She handed him the receipt, "The order should be ready for pick up before her birthday."

"Oh, that's perfect, thanks for helping me," Yamato smiled, a relieved look across his face. We both exited the store and I could tell Yamato had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

"Looks like you finally got her present," I started Yamato stopped in his tracks, another smile formed over his lips.

"Yeah," He answered. His eyes were as clear and blue as the ocean as they made contact with mine. This was the first time all day I've seen such a refreshed, genuine expression on his face. It immobilized me.

"Mashiro?" I heard him ask. I coughed loudly, regaining my composure.

"Are you the one stressing now?" He continued.

"Stressing about what? Ishida, I would never waste my time stressing over you." I responded, adjusting my bag over my shoulder.

"I meant, stressing over Mimi's gift," He answered, "But if you stress over me, then that means we're friends, don't you think?"

My cheeks grew warm with embarrassment.

"Never going to happen!" I raised my voice and walked ahead of him.

After grabbing a quick lunch and going through most of the plaza, I finally found a gift for Mimi. The sun was starting to set. Yamato and I were making our way back to our cars. The crowds on the street have gotten a little lighter. I am in disbelief that I actually spent this much time with him.

My eyes caught a glimpse of the same crepe ice cream stand from earlier.

"Mashiro, hold on," Yamato said. I stopped walking and saw him walking to the stand, "2 crepe icecreams please."

"W-Wait!" I shouted, hastily catching up with as I struggled to grab my wallet out of my bag. I saw Yamato handing the vendor cash ahead of time.

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" He asked, staring at the selection, "I think I'll get chocolate."

"I can pay for myself!" I ignored his question, "Why are you doing this?"

"You're so loud…" He sighed, "Com'n, the vendor's waiting."

"B-But!" I stuttered, "I don't want you of all people to pay for me! No!"

"Would you let it go just once?" Yamato asked, "You're making a scene and we're both going to get caught at this rate if you don't stop yelling."

My eyes scanned the crowd and he was right, people were staring.

I quieted down, "I…like Matcha."

Yamato placed the order and we waited together for the vendor to finish making the sweet dessert.

"Here." I handed Yamato the cash to pay for the crepe icecream.

"Really, Mashiro? I thought we settled this," He sighed, "It's fine."

"I really don't want you to pay for me," I refused, shoving him the cash.

"Look, if you dislike me that much, just think of this as a token of thanks for today," He explained, "I'll never pay for you again."

I thought about it. It didn't seem that Yamato would budge and take my cash. I had lost this round. The vendor called Yamato's number and I watched him go grab our dessert. **I can't stand people like Ishida.**

Yamato handed me my crepe icecream. I felt uncomfortable, but I decided to accept it. There really wasn't anything I could do now.

"…T…Thanks." I mumbled. The words were so difficult to say.

We continued back on our path, eating our icecream. I didn't want to admit it, but I was really happy to be able get crepe icecream before the day ended. My spirits were always rejuvenated after a good sweet treat.

"This was better than expected," Yamato commented, "How's yours?" I was enjoying my icecream so much,I didn't even realize he was talking.

"It's…okay." I muttered, covering up my joy for my favorite dessert.

"Just okay? I saw how many times you looked at that stand when we passed by it," Yamato chuckled.

I got caught off guard.

"That was…!" I retorted.

"You should be more honest with yourself, Mashiro," He continued, "I know from first-hand experience that hiding your feelings isn't healthy."

I stopped walking as he walked ahead, eating his ice cream. He cotnitnued, a small smile resting on his lips. I could tell he has relaxed from being so tensed all day. A nasty feeling welled up inside my stomach as I clutched my crepe ice cream a little tighter in my hands. I refused to believe it. Yamato Ishida was not a kind person. People like him are never kind. **They're all fake.**

"Mashiro? You coming?" I heard Yamato call my name. I snapped out of my thoughts and silently caught up to him.

"I parked in this lot here," He continued, "Where did you park?"

I pointed towards the direction on the other side.

"Hmm…that's pretty far," He said. I ate my crepe icecream quietly. My throat was dry.

I watched Yamato start walking the direction of where I had parked.

"H-Hey, didn't you just say you parked over there?" I spoke up, "What are you doing?"

"It's getting dark, com'n," He replied.

I bit my lip, looking down. **I hate these guys the most.**

 **Mimi's Point of View**

"I'm so bored," I whined to myself, flipping through the channels on the tv with my hand resting on my cheek, "Why didn't I just go with Yamato?"

I turned off the TV and stared at the clock. It was already the evening and I barely did anything all day. I did go grab some fresh air but came back to the apartment quickly. The apartment was quiet and all I could hear were the kitchen appliances running and the ticking of the clock, reminding me that Yamato wasn't back yet.

"Why do I keep thinking about him?" I asked myself, slightly frustrated with my brain, "He went to practice today…"

 **Or so he said.**

Thoughts from what I heard last night circled into my mind again. The irritating feeling came back and tugged at my heart. **I shouldn't care.**

I shook my head to rattle away the odd feelings and stood up from the couch.

"Oh I forgot to put my laundry into the dryer!" I remembered as I rushed into the laundry room. Opening the washer, I gathered my clothes and pulled the dryer, only to reveal a bunch of Yamato's laundry that spilled out of the machine.

Irritation crept up on me again. **Ishida…**

"Did he forget to take out his laundry again!? I swear, when he comes back, I'm going to seriously pounded it into his brain to remember to clear out the dryer when he uses it!"

I stared at the heap of laundry and sighed. Walking out the laundry room, I welcomed myself in his room to find his laundry basket. I saw papers from his compositions on the floor, including his backpack and some of his clothes. His bed wasn't made and things were scattered all over.

"How does this guy live in such a mess?" I dully wondered. My eyes searched his room for the laundry basket and I saw it right beside his desk. I walked over and as I was about to get it, I noticed his calendar. Almost every single day was written on. **School…Study…Practice…Practice… School Practice… School… Practice…Study… Practice… Studio… Studio… Practice…**

There was no denying that Yamato's schedule was booked. My eyes came across 2 red circles that stood out from all the words.

One of the circles was around my birthday and he had nothing written on the day. **Yamato…**

The second circle was around what was today. **He said he has practice… I'm not missing a big event, am I?**

I looked closer and saw he had written words into the day. **K..as…umi? I can barely read it … did he erase it or something?**

"He said he had practice," I told myself, staring at his calendar.

Once again, the irritation returned.

I shrugged, "So what if he's with Kasumi and he didn't tell me? It's not my business."

I grabbed the laundry basket in his room and turned away from the calendar, pausing in my footsteps.

"Does he not trust me?" I thought out loud.

I leaned his laundry basket on my side when I pulled out my vibrating phone from my pocket.

 **Yamato's Point of View**

"It's fine, Ishida, I parked right there," Kasumi told me, pointing to her car at the end of the row, "You can leave now."

"Alright, then. Thanks for today," I expressed my gratitude to her. Even if her words were cold towards me, she did help me find Mimi's gift. I was in a good mood now that I didn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Yeah, yeah," She waved her hand, "Thanks for helping me find something for Mimi too. Don't ever ask me for a favor again. I'd like to limit wasting my time."

I laughed awkwardly.

"Judging by how you looked eating your crepe icecream, it wasn't a complete waste of your time in my opinion," I replied. Her facial expression became flustered.

"W-What are you talking about, Ishida!? I didn't want that! You made me take it!" She retaliated.

"Sure, let's just leave it at that," I chuckled. **So Mashiro can be like this too, huh?**

Suddenly, my phone rang, interrupting our conversation.

I took out my phone from my pocket and saw Mimi's name on the caller ID. My stomach dropped.

"Who's calling?" Kasumi asked.

I couldn't bring myself to answer the phone and let it ring.

"Aren't you going to pick up?" She continued. My palms got sweaty. **Maybe I can just let it ring and then tell her I was driving home… that's a good idea.**

The call went to voicemail and I sighed in relief. Before I could even put it back in my pocket, the phone rang again. Out of surprise, I accidentally touched the screen and picked up the call. Kasumi came closer to see what the commotion was.

" _ **Hello?" (Y)**_

" _ **Yamato!" (M)**_

" _ **Y-Yeah?" (Y)**_

" _ **Where are you? You said you'd be back from practice at this time." (M)**_

" _ **Oh yeah…I'm on the way back right now," (Y)**_

" _ **Really?" (M)**_

"… _ **Y-yeah." (Y)**_

" _ **That's weird… Tetsuya texted me earlier and told me about his day."**_

" **He did…?" (Y)**

" **He said there wasn't practice. Yamato, where are you? What are you doing?" (M)**

 **Tetsuya, that moron!** Nervousness swept over me as I mentally facepalmed. **Shit, what do I say?**

"What's going on?" Kasumi whispered and I mouthed "Mimi" to her.

" **I'm … out." (Y)**

It was useless, I couldn't think of anything to say. I could hear her sharp interrogations on the phone. They were so loud that Kasumi could overhear it. At this rate, Mimi's going to pry out the surprise birthday gift out of me.

" **Is there something you didn't want me to go to, Ishida? What was your problem this morning, huh? Whatever it is, you could have at least told me the truth!" (M)**

" **Well… you see…It's a long story…uhh…" (Y)** **No use, she's going to find out…**

" **I'm waiting, Yamato. Don't tell me you-" (M)**

Suddenly, my phone was snatched out of my hands.

" **Mimi, it's Kasumi. If you want to know the truth, Ishida is on a date with me." Kasumi stated solemnly.**

 _And that ends that chapter! DUN DUN DUN. What is Kasumi up to now? I have no idea what else to say, but I hope you guys liked the chapter. If you guys haven't noticed, I've been doing less switching between point of views. I've gotten mixed feedback on how it becomes kind of confusing, so I've been trying to focus it on certain people for longer periods of time. I didn't want to take out the first person aspect from my fic, so it's going to remain that way, but if I can make it a tad easier for my readers to follow, I don't mind changing some of it. Anyways, I don't even remember the last time I updated, so I hope it was worth the wait. Leave me a review if you'd like. Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter. (: -Chii (5/30/16)_


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